KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — A driver of Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train which travels at a speed of 150km/h is facing disciplinary measures after he abandoned his seat in the control room for a toilet break.
Local media reported that the unnamed 36-year-old driver had a stomach-ache and asked an unqualified conductor to take his place, while he rushed to address nature’s call.
According to Kyodo news agency, the unqualified driver took over controls of the train with 160 passengers for three minutes but did not touch anything.
Although the unfortunate driver’s toilet rush could have gone unnoticed, the report said the train was subsequently one minute late, which prompted an investigation in a country reputed for punctuality.
In a true Japanese fashion, a senior official from JR Central — which operates the train — apologised and labelled the driver’s actions “extremely inappropriate”.
It is understood that the company’s in-house rules states that when bullet train drivers feel ill while driving, they must contact the transport command centre to seek advice.
In a case of an emergency, should conductors have a driver’s license, they can take over, but if they do not, the drivers can only leave their post after stopping the train.
The driver was quoted by AFP saying that he didn’t want to cause a delay by stopping the train.
“I didn’t report it because it was embarrassing.”
Japan’s highly efficient Shinkansen rail network connects cities along the length and breadth of the country, with trains reaching speeds of up to 320km/h.
