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Osaka earthquake hits city during peak hour, passengers freed after trains suspended

Oona McGee Jun 19, 2018
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Rail staff were put to the test as they guided passengers through tunnels and emergency slides during their busiest hours.

Over the years, Japan’s rail network has shown us time and time again just how clean, courteous, and efficient a transport system can be. But while rail staff play their part in maintaining a sense of clockwork-precision on the rails, passengers play their part too, patiently dealing with crowded conditions and politely respecting rules of common courtesy while travelling from A to B.

This cooperative spirit was out on full display yesterday, as Osaka was struck by its strongest tremor in decades – an earthquake measuring a lower 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of 7. Occurring at 7:58 a.m., right in the middle of the country’s peak-hour period, trains in the affected regions were immediately forced to an emergency halt for safety reasons, stranding passengers inside carriages for hours and causing extensive delays to services.

https://twitter.com/madclubstar/status/1008496450181873665

As staff conducted safety checks on the train lines, commuters shared stories of events as they happened online, with some people tweeting from their seats. This passenger on the Tokaido Shinkansen bound for Osaka mentioned that they had made an emergency stop in Gifu Prefecture, with power cut on the train, leaving them unable to use the toilets.

東海道新幹線🚅が、大阪方面の地震のため、岐阜付近で緊急停止。車内も停電のため、トイレも行けません。 pic.twitter.com/SDUgBu0Opr

— ショーマン (@kwe187024) June 17, 2018

Many others shared tales of mass exodus along the railway tracks as staff finally freed commuters from one-to-three-hour-long wait times on trains that had been stuck between stations.

尼崎駅手前で緊急停止した車内から線路を歩いて脱出。
これは大変 pic.twitter.com/grl6by8OVi

— 八朔 (@Xl1200xR) June 17, 2018

A large number of commuters marvelled at the technique used to guide them to safety, as staff removed seats on the train, using them as makeshift slides between the carriage door and the ground below.

電車内の長座席が災害時に担架や簡易ベッドになるのは知ってましたが、避難の際にも利用できるのは知りませんでした。
こんな時に写真はどうかと思いましたが、もし緊急避難しなければならない状況で駅員さんがいない場合に知っていれば備えられるかなと思って。#阪急電車 pic.twitter.com/g0tC5fAHgv

— wasabi☂️ (@wasabi_music_) June 18, 2018

阪急電車の降車方法が斬新すぎるし、シートふかふかなので降りにくさハンパないw pic.twitter.com/JHwngJ5JDM

— しゃちくろぬこ🍊安心教はいいぞ🙏 (@Kuro_Nukorin) June 18, 2018

The seats, which are specially designed so they can be removed and used as slides in the event of an emergency, were pushed together by staff to form a secure exit for passengers.

電車から降りるために阪急電車椅子を剥がして道を作成 pic.twitter.com/CljGnRz099

— asuferu (@rua_shindo) June 18, 2018

阪急電車、座席外して
降車出来るなんて知らなかったよね。(私だけだな)#阪急電車 #朝の出来事 pic.twitter.com/NFyHoupIkm

— 優 •ᴗ•ꕤ*@ Number_iの深紅担 (@yuu_0129N_i) June 18, 2018

Some people walked down the seats…

https://twitter.com/love617_love915/status/1008528565544017922

While others felt more comfortable using them as a slide instead.

【震度6弱】「座席を使って滑り台に」阪急電鉄が実践した電車内からの避難方法https://t.co/avrs8HBC92 pic.twitter.com/xyrfntB0Nw

— 今日見(・ω・)ノ新津！　おはッター (@ohakip) June 18, 2018

今朝、地震のため阪急京都線の南方と十三の間で緊急停車し、再開の目処立たず線路へ下りました。
シートを滑り台がわりにして誘導していただいたため、不安は少なくて済みました。
ありがとうございます。#阪急電車 #地震 #誘導 pic.twitter.com/NMJiwCMgul

— いつものヨッシー (@yossy_always) June 18, 2018

Other passengers, like these ones on the Thunderbird Limited Express that connects Osaka Station Fukui and Ishikawa prefectures, made their exit with the help of stepladders.

https://twitter.com/SNOW90C303/status/1008543075033944064

Many passengers commented that this was their first experience walking on railway tracks, and local media showed just how well they followed instructions from staff to remain in one line as they walked to the nearest station.

【地震関連】２時間電車閉じ込め　線路歩き駅へ：https://t.co/63PpaLjEkJ　#神戸新聞　 #地震　 #地震情報　 #鉄道情報 pic.twitter.com/8N0ygrr86t

— 神戸新聞 (@kobeshinbun) June 18, 2018

Some passengers, however, found themselves walking along the railway tracks in a very different environment. After a three-hour wait in a train that had made an emergency stop in the middle of a tunnel, these passengers had a long way to walk towards the light.

くっそ長いトンネルの真ん中辺りで緊急停車して3時間圏外という地獄
電車から線路に降りてトンネルを歩くという初めての経験……
もう情報も入ってこないし絶望だった pic.twitter.com/OixTAaDXFN

— にゃんふ (@nyamph_pf) June 18, 2018

湖西線が地震の影響で緊急停止。
トンネル内を避難中。#地震 #避難 #JR #線路内を徒歩 #トンネル #ええ経験やな pic.twitter.com/42FogPVKHd

— takashi tokunaga (@MoralistT) June 18, 2018

Though some passengers were understandably frustrated at being trapped inside a train for up to three hours on their morning commute, most were breathing a sigh of relief that nothing worse had happened.

While the seats on these trains were being used as slides to guide passengers to safety, the seats on the Shinkansen have been designed for a very different story.

Source: Naver Matome
Featured image: Twitter/@kobeshinbun