Bird’s Nest Puts Brakes on Speeding Bullet Trains
A BIRD has stopped bullet trains, those powerful, speeding symbols of Japan’s technological prowess.
By building a nest atop over head power lines, the bird caused a short circuit and forced railway engineers to stop service on two train lines for more than two morning hours yesterday.
Seven trains , packed with vacationers enjoying a string of national holidays which Japanese calls “Golden Week” were cancelled. Some 25,000 passengers were inconvenienced, said an official of JR East Railways Co.
Delays of 10 minutes to more than two hours – on trains noted for usually arriving and departing on the second they’re scheduled-continued more than 10 hours after service was restored at 8.32 a.m.
Japan’s first bullet train started running in 1964 to coincide with the Tokyo Olympics and was hailed as a symbol of Japan’s entry into the modern world.