The crew of a shinkansen train traveling from Fukuoka to Tokyo that was found to have a 16-centimeter crack in its undercarriage reported no abnormalities when handing over operations to the next crew, one of the bullet train operators said Wednesday, even though maintenance staff had said over 90 minutes earlier it should be checked more closely at the next station.
When a crew member of West Japan Railway Co., known as JR West, handed over duties to staff of Central Japan Railway Co., or JR Tokai, at Shin-Osaka Station, he told them there was an unusual smell but no abnormalities, saying that an inspection team on the train had already checked the problem, according to JR Tokai.
JR Tokai operates shinkansen services between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, while JR West does so between Shin-Osaka and Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture.