Snake on a train line: Reptile causes major delays in Japan

Tens of thousands of passengers aboard Japan’s busiest bullet train line were delayed after snake climbed onto a power line and electrocuted itself.

TOKYO — It’s likely some of the tens of thousands of passengers were hissing with anger after a snake brought Japan’s busiest bullet train line to a halt.

The 39-inch reptile slithered onto an overhead power line and tangled itself, a spokesperson for line operator JR Central told NBC News. As a result, it shorted the electricity supply and brought the line between Osaka and Tokyo to a halt.

The blackout occurred at 5:26 p.m. (4:26 a.m. ET) and power was not restored until 7 p.m. (6 a.m. ET), affecting 86 trains, the spokesperson said.

Every day, more than 430,000 passengers ride the Tokaido Shinkansen, a key Japanese railway artery that connects its capital Tokyo with Nagoya and Osaka, according to JR Central.

The bullet trains are known for reaching speeds of 180 mph, and also their punctuality: The average delay on the line last year was 1.6 minutes per train across the 372 trains it operated each day.