Tokyo [Japan], April 17: A snake about 40 cm long appeared on the Shinkansen high-speed train from Nagoya to Tokyo in Japan, causing the train to be delayed for up to 17 minutes.
Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains are famous for their speed and punctuality, but a train on the evening of April 16 was delayed by 17 minutes after a snake appeared on the carriage, according to AFP.
A passenger reported to security forces after discovering a snake about 40 cm long on the train from Nagoya to Tokyo.
It is unclear whether the "cold-blooded passenger" is poisonous or how it got on the ship. A spokesman for Central Japan Railway (JR) said passengers were not alarmed and no one was injured.
Passengers on the Shinkansen bullet train can bring pets such as small dogs, cats or other animals such as pigeons, but snakes are not allowed.
"It's hard to imagine that wild snakes could somehow climb onto the train at one of the stations. We have regulations prohibiting bringing snakes on board the Shinkansen. But we don't check passengers' luggage." , according to spokesman JR.
The train was originally scheduled to continue to Osaka, but the company decided to use another train instead, resulting in a delay of about 17 minutes.
Patrols by uniformed security guards on bullet trains were stepped up after a fatal crash in 2018 on a Shinkansen train that shocked Japan's reputation for safety.
Security was also increased for the 2021 Summer Olympics and last year's Group of Seven meetings.
According to JR, since its launch in 1964, the Shinkansen bullet train network has never had an accident resulting in any passenger death or injury. The train can move at a speed of 285 km/h, with an average delay of 0.2 minutes.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
