Power outage halts Tokyo commuter train lines, affecting 673,000 passengers

TOKYO: A railway power outage in Tokyo disrupted the morning commute for about 673,000 passengers on Friday (Jan 16) as two main lines servicing some of the world’s busiest stations were halted.

Trains on East Japan Railway’s (JR East) Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines were halted for up to nine hours, the railway operator said.

JR East said a failure to restore power after overnight maintenance work at Tokyo’s Tamachi Station left both lines without electricity early Friday. A spokesperson said smoke was seen coming from a trackside equipment box near the station.