As powerful Typhoon Jebi approached western parts of Japan, railway operators in the Kansai area acted quickly to inform customers they would halt services in the hope of preventing chaos at stations and encouraging businesses to let workers stay home to ensure safety.
West Japan Railway Co. began alerting customers about its service suspension plans from Monday morning, a day before Jebi — the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years — slammed into the region. By Tuesday afternoon, the company had suspended operations on all of its lines in the Kansai area.
"You can ensure safety to some extent, once you stop trains," said a spokesman for JR West.