The 40 cm long reptile was seen on the train from Nagoya to Tokyo, forcing a passenger to raise the alarm. As a result of the discovery of this stowaway, the train was delayed in arriving by...
17 minutes. Inaugurated in 1964 and considerably expanded subsequently, the Shinkansen network has never experienced an accident resulting in the death or injury of passengers on board. JR Central's high-speed trains peak at 285 km/h and had an average delay of 1.1 minutes in the entire 2022/23 financial year (including delays caused by natural disasters, which are common in Japan). The reason for the reptile's presence on board was unknown, according to a spokesperson for the JR Central railway company, which operates the busy line connecting Tokyo to Osaka (west) via Nagoya. It is unknown if the snake was venomous or if it was stowed away in a luggage compartment, as passengers are not allowed to carry snakes on board the trains.