Because even if the train wasn’t moving, some passengers had to go.
In Japan, rail operators use the term jinshin jiko for any incident in which a train strikes a person, whether that person was intentionally on the tracks or simply ended up there after falling or stumbling. As you might imagine, rail companies take jinshin jiko very seriously, and the number of medical and safety checks that have to be immediately performed, often by different specialized crews, can have trains stopped up and down the line for an extended period of time.
So when a train travelling on the Joshin Dentetsu Joshin Line in Gunma Prefecture suddenly came to a stop on Monday night because of a jinshin jiko, passengers knew they might not be going anywhere for a while. Even after 20 minutes, the line still wasn’t cleared to start moving again, and the conductor came on the P.A. system to announce that it would be some time before the train could get underway again.
Unfortunately, the train was stopped on an elevated section of the tracks between Sanonowatashi and Negoya Stations, so it wasn’t like the passengers could get out and find another way to get to their destination.
Making things worse, the train had no bathroom facilities, and while that’s not an uncommon situation for commuter trains in Japan, the passengers’ ride had suddenly become much more time-consuming than they’d originally expected. Luckily, despite the train’s elevated position, a team of firefighters were able to make their way to the vehicle, where in addition to performing safety checks, they also set up a temporary bathroom, right in the middle of one of the carriages, as photographed by Twitter user @yuuyae233.
By the time the facility was set up, at 7 p.m., the train had already ben stopped for over an hour, so some passengers were no doubt in dire need of a place to relieve themselves, especially since we’re getting into the end-of-year drinking party season in Japan. Luckily, it wasn’t much longer before the trains started moving again, and shortly before 7:15 it was underway again, but we’re sure plenty of passengers were happy the firefighters were there to help them with their personal fluid management.
Source: IT Media, Twitter/@yuuyae233