Space-out occurred in tunnel connecting Honshu and Hokkaido.

Give someone the prompt “The Shinkansen is _____”, and they’re almost certain to complete it with “fast.” Sure, theoretically “awesome,” “convenient,” and “a surprisingly tasty source of ice cream” would also be valid responses, but speed really is the defining characteristic of Japan’s famous bullet train. If the Shinkansen isn’t fast, then it really doesn’t feel like the Shinkansen…which is why someone noticed when one dropped down to a decidedly poky speed recently.

The incident occurred on September 30 on the Hokkaido Shinkansen. At around 11 p.m., a Hayabusa-class Shinkansen traveling from Tokyo to Shin Hakodate Hokuto Station entered the Seikan Tunnel, the submarine passageway that crosses the Tsugaru Strait separating Hokkaido and Japan’s main island of Honshu. The tunnel gets progressively deeper as the tracks approach its midpoint, and it’s normal for trains to slow down while making the descent. However, they’re supposed to pick up the pace again as they make their ascent towards the exit, and even though the Shinkansen can safely travel at speeds up to 160 kilometers (99.4 miles) per hour, the Hayabusa on the night of the 30th was going uphill at only 36 kilometers (22.4 mile) per hour.

So what was the cause? Was the train experiencing some kind of mechanical problems? Was there an issue with the track that day that called for extra caution? No, according to Hokkaido Shinkansen operator JR Hokkaido, there was a much less technical problem:

“The driver spaced out.”

As the Shinkansen entered the Seikan Tunnel, the driver applied the brake to bring the train down to a safe speed for its descent. After the train reaches the bottom, the brake is automatically disengaged, but the driver simply forgot to accelerate the train after that, due to a lapse in concentration. Another crew member noticed that they weren’t traveling as quickly as they ordinarily should be and pointed the situation out to the driver, who then increased the train’s speed.

The train still arrived on time at its final stop of Shin Hakodate Hokuto, and the delayed acceleration was applied smoothly enough that no passengers were injured. All the same, a deviation from normal operating procedure because a driver wasn’t paying attention isn’t something rail operators take lightly, and JR Hokkaido has apologized for the incident and says it will take measures to prevent such a thing from reoccurring, and hopefully the driver will remember to limit his spacing out to more appropriate environments, such as Japan’s annual space-out tournament.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun via Itai News
Top image: Wikipedia/Sukhoi37
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