Three people sustained burns Monday during inspection work on a maglev train line under development in Yamanashi Prefecture, police said.
An unexpected combustion took place on the train at around 4:05 p.m., igniting the clothes of three nearby workers before the fire was quickly put out, the police said. Two of the workers — a 31-year-old and a 29-year-old — sustained severe burns.
According to Central Japan Railway Co., the three were caught in an eruption of sparks from a circuit breaker device.
The 42.8-kilometer experimental line in Yamanashi Prefecture will be part of the Tokyo-Osaka high-speed maglev train line. Ahead of full services between Tokyo and Osaka, JR Central aims to start operations of the maglev train between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027 with a top speed of 500 kilometers per hour.