Japan's JR East train lines suspended due to power outage, thousands affected in Tokyo

Power outages have affected thousands of Tokyo commuters during rush hour as train services along major lines, including JR East's Yamanote Line, the entire Keihin-Tohoku Line and the Tokaido Line.

On Jan. 16, the train operator, also known as East Japan Railway, stated that it expects services to resume at 1pm local time, stated The Japan Times.

The surge of commuters has also led to entry restrictions at certain major stations as commuters are forced to take alternative routes.

The outages

JR East told The Japan Times that the firm discovered the first outage between Tokyo's Shimbashi and Shinagawa stations at around 3:50am local time as workers were prepping for the first train to depart.

According to The Asahi Shimbun, the Keihin-Tohoku Line resumed operations at around 7:20am but was halted once more after a second power outage was discovered in the same area during checks to restore electricity to the Yamanote Line.

The second outage also affected the Tokaido Line.

The Japan Times noted that while JR East has not publicly disclosed the cause, a fire did break out at Tamachi Station on the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines at 8am on Jan. 16.

Firefighters found a burnt transformer, a device that alters voltage and converts electric currents for trains to run smoothly.

Authorities are investigating to see if the incidents are linked.

Top photo from Japan Moments/Facebook.