As many as 360,000 commuters on their way home after work faced major train disruptions Tuesday evening on three Tokyu railway lines linking the Tokyo and Yokohama areas, with the operator suspecting trouble with a circuit breaker in the signal system.
Train runs were stopped on the Tokyu Toyoko Line, Meguro Line and Tamagawa Line for about four hours from 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Many commuters were stranded inside trains, while stations were full of people. Services resumed after 10 p.m.
Due to the trouble with the signal control system, it became impossible to detect the state of railway crossings, prompting the operator to halt trains, company officials said.
At Shibuya Station, people who gave up on taking Tokyu trains stood in long lines at bus stations and taxi stands.
