Train services on the busy Yamanote Line in downtown Tokyo resumed Friday morning after operations were suspended for checks following problems with some pantographs detected the previous night, JR East said.
Both the inner and outer loops of the JR Yamanote Line, which encircles central Tokyo, were suspended from the first scheduled services, causing widespread disruption to commuters. A total of 141 trains on the line were canceled on Friday, affecting around 197,000 people, the operator said.
After the resumption, the line was operating with considerably reduced services, JR East said.
Photo taken on the morning of May 23, 2025, shows damage (front L) to a pantograph from a JR Yamanote Line train. (Photo courtesy of JR East)(Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Signage at JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo notifies passengers of the suspension of services on the Yamanote Line early in the morning on May 23, 2025. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Services on the Keihin-Tohoku Line, which were suspended on a section running near the loop line, resumed in the morning with delays.
Trains on the Yamanote Line’s outer loop were canceled Thursday night due to problems with the pantographs, the apparatus that connects carriages to overhead power lines.
Services on the Yamanote Line were suspended after an abnormality was detected at a power line-related facility near Shimbashi Station, the operator said.
Meanwhile, the Keiyo Line was also temporarily suspended from the scheduled start of services on Friday after smoke was seen on the tracks at Hatchobori Station in Tokyo late Thursday. While operations partially recommenced, services were delayed.
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