Power outage halts Tokyo commuter train lines, affecting 673,000 passengers

A railway power outage in Tokyo disrupted the morning commute for roughly 673,000 passengers Friday as two main lines servicing some of the world's busiest stations were halted.

Trains on East Japan Railway's (JR East) 9020.T Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines were halted for up to nine hours Friday, the railway operator said.

JR East said a failure to restore power after overnight maintenance work at Tokyo's Tamachi Station left both lines without electricity early Friday. A spokesperson said smoke was seen coming from a track-side equipment box near the station.

Passengers were seen disembarking from a Keihin-Tohoku train stranded between stations and walking along the tracks to evacuate, assisted by firefighters and railway staff. Images on social media showed commuters packing busy stations.

The Yamanote Line passes through stations including Shinjuku, which handles about 3.5 million passengers daily. The Keihin-Tohoku Line serves major hubs such as Tokyo and Yokohama.

-Satoshi Sugiyama/Reuters