November snow falls in Tokyo for first time in 54 years, causes chaos for peak hour commuters

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Peak-hour delays caused such overcrowding that some commuters were unable to enter stations in the nation’s capital this morning.

As weather forecasters had predicted earlier in the week, people in Japan’s Kanto region woke up to snow this morning, in a rare event for the area which had not seen snowfall in November for 54 years. As snow began to fall in central Tokyo at roughly 6:15 a.m., many early commuters in the city managed to make it to work without any major problems. However, just a couple of hours later, as the number of commuters began to surge, trains became delayed, causing major crowds and havoc for passengers around the city. Many people took their frustrations to Twitter, with photos showing just how crazy a rush-hour commute can be when just a light snow falls in the nation’s capital.

At Sangenjaya Station in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, people were restricted from entering the station due to the amount of people inside.

The congestion at Sangenjaya Station was due to significant delays on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line.

Not helping matters for commuters trying to get around the city was the fact that the Yamanote Line had stopped running, due to the combination of snow and a passenger illness.

As one of the busiest lines in the city, crowds to board the Yamanote line extended all the way from station platforms to the area outside the ticket turnstiles.

Everything was brought to a standstill, with the line to board the train extending all the way up the stairs at a number of different stations on the line.

The snow came as a result of an unusual cold front that covered the Tokyo area, causing temperatures to plummet to near zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Train delays meant many commuters were waiting for up to an hour on station platforms in extremely cold weather.

Despite the long wait and inconvenience for commuters, people still managed to remain calm, lining up in orderly lines and patiently waiting their turn to board the train.

Once on board, though, commuters still had crowded carriages to contend with. According to this passenger on the Asakusa Line, which was also delayed, the morning subway journey was like “Extreme commuting”.

Thankfully, rail services returned to normal by the afternoon, with the light snowfall stopping in Tokyo at roughly 3:30 p.m. Despite the inconvenience for commuters, in situations like these, as we’ve seen in the past, the patience and cooperation of the public is vital to ensuring the safety of all passengers. If you do find yourself in a crowded state of organised chaos like this in Japan, it’s always best to remain calm, follow the instructions of station staff, and vent your frustrations on Twitter, along with thousands of other Japanese commuters beside you.

Source: Spectee Newsdeck
Featured image: Twitter/@kotomimicc



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