The Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train service was suspended on Jul. 22 after two maintenance trains reportedly derailed and collided at around 3:30am (Singapore time) in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture.

According to Japan English-language newspaper The Japan Times, train services were suspended between the Hamamatsu and Nagoya stations.

The Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) said the recovery work is ongoing and it is uncertain when trains will be able to resume services at the affected stations, reported Japan news outlet NHK.

What happened

JR Central said that the collision occurred between the Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations, where a maintenance vehicle rear-ended another.

This caused both trains to be derailed.

A train driver suffered head injuries and was sent to the hospital, while a maintenance worker sustained a minor leg injury, reported NHK.

The maintenance trains were laying ballast, or small rocks under rail tracks, and had completed their task.

Special flights activated

The bullet trains connecting Tokyo Station and Shin-Osaka Station had been canceled while other services were reduced, according to The Japan Times.

West Japan Railway, or JR West, has stopped its service which connects Shin-Osaka Station and Hakata Station in Fukuoka Prefecture, and the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.

All Nippon Airways has activated special flights between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Osaka International Airport following the service suspension.

Top photos via Densha Boy 500 • 電車の少年500/Facebook