The Japanese authorities opened an investigation after a train was delayed for one minute from its arrival, while the management of the company operating the train apologized in a press conference, stressing that the driver will bear the consequences of his behavior.
The Shinkansen driver admitted that he left his seat after feeling stomach pain, and handed over the driver of the train, which was carrying 160 passengers, to a ticket superintendent so that he could quickly go to the toilet, causing the train’s arrival to be delayed, according to the railway company, which had to apologize, according to Agence France-Presse. .
The driver was absent for three minutes while the train was traveling at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour, and the case could have passed without anyone noticing it, but the train was one minute late, which automatically led to an investigation in this well-known Asian country with punctuality.
A company spokesperson told AFP that the Shinkansen trains operate with accurate centralized information control systems, and therefore the human driver must remain in place to handle any unforeseen situations.
Drivers who face an emergency situation while driving a train should coordinate with the control center to hand over the job to another qualified driver or stop the train on the track or even at the nearest station.
The company’s management apologized for the accident at a press conference held on Thursday and confirmed that the driver will bear the consequences of his behavior.
The driver defended himself, stressing that he avoided stopping the train in order not to delay it, adding, “I did not report (the situation) because I felt embarrassed.”