Heavy rain halted Shinkansen bullet trains, hit 139,000 people

TOKYO: Heavy rain canceled a total of 88 Sanyo Shinkansen bullet train services on Saturday and delayed 229 by up to around six hours, affecting about 139,300 people, Kyodo News Agency quoted the operator.

JR West said Sunday that rain gauges in some sections had reached their maximum level for safe operation between Shin-Osaka and Hakata in western Japan in the morning the previous day, adding services resumed later after safety checks were completed.

On Saturday, intense rainfall briefly halted all shinkansen services between Hakata and Tokyo, with the weather agency urging caution as the rain was projected to continue over the three-day weekend.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said weather conditions are expected to improve on Sunday, as a low-pressure system and front that brought heavy rainfall heads east, but still warned of risks from overflowing rivers and landslides.