10 Bullet Trains Damaged After Super Typhoon Floods Japanese Rail Yard, Services Partly Disrupted

10 Bullet Trains Worth S$404 Million Damaged During Major Train Yard Flood

With Typhoon Hagibis hitting Japan hard over the weekend, many parts in Japan were left flooded in its wake.

The city of Nagano was one of them. But the streets of Nagano weren’t the only areas that suffered the wrath of the devastating typhoon.

Bullet trains – AKA Shinkansen in Japanese – housed in a train yard next to a river were also submerged in water.

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Authorities said they have no idea when operations for the line connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa – a 500km journey – will resume.

Bullet trains worth more than $414 Million submerged in water

The train yard was apparently located next to Chikuma River, which had overflowed as a result of the mega typhoon, reports The Japan Times.

Trains docked at the train yard were reportedly damaged by the flood. The damaged trains are worth S$414.68 million (¥32.8 billion) and form 1/3 of the line’s fleet of trains.

Alternative transport options planned

As a result of the damaged trains, Japanese railway operator JR East decided to temporarily operate the line between Tokyo and Nagano only using the unaffected trains.

Essential functions of the trains like brakes, transformers, and air-conditioning control systems – installed beneath the train carriages – are believed to be completely wrecked.

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But since the train yard is currently submerged, workers are having difficulties repairing the damaged components. They’ll have to move the trains to a different facility instead.

Nagano experienced heavy flooding

The train yard is not the only place ravaged by heavy floods.

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Obuse, a town in Nagano, also experienced flooding. The waters were so high that even the carpark barrier was submerged.

Here’s a before and after picture:

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Hope the trains will be repaired ASAP

It’s scary indeed to see how landscapes can be altered so drastically within a short period of time.

We hope that the affected trains will be repaired ASAP so that the railway lines will return to normalcy.

After all, the Shinkansen system is renowned worldwide for its reliability and efficiency.

Featured image adapted from Twitter.