SAITAMA – Power transmission trouble halted three JR Utsunomiya Line trains in Kuki, Saitama Prefecture, on Monday, stranding about 1,900 passengers for about two hours.
They later exited the trains and walked along the tracks to the nearest station. According to the local fire department, several people reported feeling ill and were sent to a hospital.
The Utsunomiya Line had stopped operations between Ueno and Utsunomiya stations and resumed services on Monday night, running fewer trains than usual. About 80,000 passengers were affected. The railway plans to resume normal operations Wednesday morning.
According to East Japan Railway Co., an insulator holding an electric wire above the tracks somehow broke and caused an electric leak, damaging signals and other equipment. JR East is investigating the trouble, which may have been caused by powerful Typhoon Lan, which hit the area Monday.
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