A rapid train that was supposed to stop at Higashi-Sano Station on the Hanwa Line passed the platform by mistake, JR West said on the 28th. The driver told the company in questioning that temporary drowsiness made him brake late, according to the operator. None of the roughly 350 passengers was hurt.
The train, bound for Wakayama, ran past the stopping point at about 7:50 a.m. on the 28th and came to a halt around 300 meters beyond it. The driver braked late, and the conductor stopped the train using the emergency brake, JR West said.
An automatic braking system is designed to stop a train before it fully clears the platform and prevent exactly this kind of pass-through. It did not activate, and JR West is investigating why.
Passengers carried on to the next station
Because the train had stopped beyond the platform, it continued on to the next station, Kumatori. Passengers intending to get off at Higashi-Sano rode back from Kumatori on a train in the opposite direction, according to JR West.
A similar incident happened in June, when a driver who had not had enough sleep or rest because of schedule disruption from a typhoon felt drowsy, braked late and stopped about 250 meters past a station's stopping point. In the latest case, JR West said the driver had been given the prescribed rest period.
“We sincerely apologize for the great inconvenience. We will tighten instruction and work to prevent a recurrence.”JR West, company statement