UN Japan bullet train driver leaves controls for bathroom break as train speeds at 150 km/h with 160 aboard

A Japanese bullet train driver is facing disciplinary action after he left the crew compartment of the train — travelling at 150 km/h with 160 passengers inside — to use the bathroom.

The shikansen driver asked a conductor to sit in his place while he went to relieve a stomach ache, according to Kyodo News Agency.


The conductor, who was not qualified to drive the train, sat in the compartment for three minutes and never touched the controls.

Shikansen drivers who feel ill are required to either stop at the nearest station or report to an operations centre and hand the controls to a qualified conductor.

But the driver said he didn’t want to lose time by stopping the train at the next stop.

“I didn’t report it because it was embarrassing,” he told JR Central, the railway company operating in central Japan.

He and the conductor might have gotten away with their transgressions if the train hadn’t arrived one minute late at its next stop, immediately triggering an investigation.

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The incident happened last weekend, while the train was speeding along the Tokaido line, which links Tokyo and Osaka, the Guardian reported.

Masahiro Hayatsu, a JR Central senior officer apologized and told reporters the driver’s actions had been “extremely inappropriate”.

The company stated that this is the first time a bullet train driver has left the cockpit of a moving train carrying passengers.

Japan’s shikansen are well-known around the world for their extreme punctuality and speeds, which can reach up to 320 km/h.

More than 400,000 people use the Tokaido service daily.

While most commuters around the world are accustomed to waiting for long-delayed trains, it’s uncommon for bullet trains in Japan to go off schedule by even a few seconds.

In 2018, a train left a station 25 seconds before its scheduled departure time, after its conductor couldn’t see anyone on the platform. This triggered an apology from Japan’s national railway system, who condemned the driver’s actions as ‘inexcusable’, CNN reported.

In 2017, a Tsukuba Express conductor precipitated another apology after he departed 20 seconds early.

https://vancouversun.com/news/world...oard/wcm/ec75dcf5-b314-46e6-8d76-ce78dfd32acb

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I think the drivers are under extreme pressure to meet scheduling if they are departing early to give them a miniscule margin of time to arrive.

 

[HumanHive]

This could be solved by just having co-pilots in case of emergencies.

 

[Toolbox]

How are trains of all things unable to be automated yet? You'd think Japan would have figured this out.

 

[Some JERK]

He and the conductor might have gotten away with their transgressions if the train hadn’t arrived one minute late at its next stop, immediately triggering an investigation.

Holy shit how do we get that level of accountability in American public transportation? I've had to ride trains where you're lucky if it shows up within 10 minutes of its posted arrival time.

 

[Toolbox]

Holy shit how do we get that level of accountability in American public transportation? I've had to ride trains where you're lucky if it shows up within 10 minutes of its posted arrival time.

More like how do we get US trains onto the modern standard that a lot of the western world enjoys. How did we give up on them so hard? We still essentially use the same trains we had in the 50s.

 

[Goofy Logic]

More like how do we get US trains onto the modern standard that a lot of the western world enjoys. How did we give up on them so hard? We still essentially use the same trains we had in the 50s.

Part of the reason is the longer distances that trains need to cover in North America, and the other is road vehicles are ultimately cheaper to set up infrastructure for than trains.

What North American trains shine in is moving very large amounts of commodities. Smaller loads can be handled by semi-trucks, but if you need a large amount of stuff moved across the continent, the train is the most efficient.

 

[DumbDude42]

More like how do we get US trains onto the modern standard that a lot of the western world enjoys. How did we give up on them so hard? We still essentially use the same trains we had in the 50s.

US is not as suitable for trains as europe is because of how gigantic the distances are, so the initial investment in the infrastucture is insanely huge
it would be worth it in the long run, but neither private corporations nor the government want to make that kind of investment

 

[Haramburger]

How are trains of all things unable to be automated yet?

It essentially was automated: "The conductor, who was not qualified to drive the train, sat in the compartment for three minutes and never touched the controls."

I'm more surprised by the 2018 story; dude got a formal reprimand for leaving an empty stop 25 seconds early and it made headlines. Meanwhile I've seen buses skip stops entirely because the skin color of the bus driver and would-be passenger don't match.

 

[Not Really Here]

More like how do we get US trains onto the modern standard that a lot of the western world enjoys. How did we give up on them so hard? We still essentially use the same trains we had in the 50s.

You get a superpower to bomb the rail lines into scrap, then have that same superpower rebuild them after the war is over.

 

[Desu Mountain]

This triggered an apology from Japan’s national railway system, who condemned the driver’s actions as ‘inexcusable’, CNN reported.

Fucking dumbasses. 申し訳ありません is just how you say "I'm sorry" in formal speech. It's not supposed to be translated literally to "There is no excuse". Western media actually headlined that bog-standard routine apology in 2018.

 

[Toolbox]

Part of the reason is the longer distances that trains need to cover in North America, and the other is road vehicles are ultimately cheaper to set up infrastructure for than trains.

Yes, but in the long run is it not worth it to have a vehicle that can move 100+ km/h constantly, able to deliver people over those major distances of the landmass? We slacked off because cars came into the picture. They aren't as efficient, more dangerous, among other issues. Their positives also do not outweight what a train can do. Somehow, instead of investing in high speed trains, we spent money on nonsense like monorails and now the hyperloop.

 

[Bill Dauterive]

Yes, but in the long run is it not worth it to have a vehicle that can move 100+ km/h constantly, able to deliver people over those major distances of the landmass? We slacked off because cars came into the picture. They aren't as efficient, more dangerous, among other issues. Their positives also do not outweight what a train can do. Somehow, instead of investing in high speed trains, we spent money on nonsense like monorails and now the hyperloop.

I quite enjoy owning and driving a car where I can listen to loud music and throw trash where I please rather than sitting next to niggers and tweakers trying to avoid eye contact with them.

 

[Getwhatyou]

All trains have dead man switches for this reason. You have to hit it every few minutes. So he must have been quick. He could take a pointer from our user base tho and use a bottle like a proper gentle sir

 

[whatever I feel like]

How are trains of all things unable to be automated yet? You'd think Japan would have figured this out.

Stuff breaks on trains all the time, the engineers also act as the mechanic when, say, a break line pops while in motion. They are also a safety measure all their own because, hey, train crashes cost millions of dollars and, in this case, could leave hundreds dead.

 

[VIPPER?]

I thought trains were not only mostly automated (or at least signalling is, letting you know when there's a nice long stretch of unoccupied track) but also have copilots or second engineers or whatever like planes do.

 

[Lone MacReady]

Japanese trains have had problems for a long time.

 

[Radical Cadre]

What's the problem?

 

[ShortBusDriver]

Yes, but in the long run is it not worth it to have a vehicle that can move 100+ km/h constantly, able to deliver people over those major distances of the landmass? We slacked off because cars came into the picture. They aren't as efficient, more dangerous, among other issues. Their positives also do not outweight what a train can do. Somehow, instead of investing in high speed trains, we spent money on nonsense like monorails and now the hyperloop.

Trains fell out of favor because of aircraft not cars.

It just isn't practical to run a train line to every possible location in the US where as a plane can, and then connect to other airports with smaller aircraft.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

........ but... there were no incidents. Nobody died. Why the fuck is this news, and why did the train company feel the need to make this public rather than keep it in-house?

Is this the "Amazon workers pee in water bottles" shit all over again except its Japan and trains?

 

[Disheveled Human]

In Japan you are supposed to sit in your shit stained pants until end of shift otherwise it brings great dishonor to your ancestors and you must commit sudoku afterwords.