TOKYO: Tokyo's Yamanote Line fully resumed train services early Friday (Jan 16) afternoon after a power outage paralysed the vital part of the capital's transportation network from the day's first scheduled run, the operator JR East said, Kyodo News reported.
The railway company said the power outage occurred around 3.50am, likely due to an issue with an electrical facility serving a section between Shimbashi and Shinagawa stations in central Tokyo.
While trains on the Keihin-Tohoku Line, which runs parallel to the Yamanote Line on part of its route, were initially running, services were also stopped due to the outage and delays caused on other lines in Tokyo and its vicinity.
The Keihin-Tohoku Line services also resumed in the early afternoon.
Power supply to the facility was shut off during the night due to ongoing work on infrastructure at Tamachi Station between the two stops, and the operator was unable to restore it before the first train of the day, it said.
A fire was also reported at the electrical facility near Tamachi Station at around 8am, according to police and the fire department. It was extinguished around 90 minutes later.
Whether the fire and the power outage are related remains unclear, they said.
On the Keihin-Tohoku Line, the power outage left passengers on trains stranded between Shimbashi and Hamamatsu stations. They were asked to disembark and walk to the nearest stations.
The Tokyo fire department said that five people were treated after falling ill.
Transport Minister Yasushi Kaneko said at a press conference that he had ordered JR East to investigate the cause of the incident and prevent a recurrence. - Bernama-Kyodo
