Passengers Stranded Overnight on Niigata-bound Train After Heavy Snowfall

Passengers on a train in Japan were stranded overnight on Thursday, January 11, after heavy snowfall blocked railway lines.About 430 passengers were trapped on a Niigata-bound service, which remained on the snow-covered tracks for 15 hours, Kyodo News reported</a>. The East Japan Railway Company’s train was held overnight in Sanjo city, between Tokoji and Obiori stations, on the Shinetsu line, according to the report. While about half of the passengers reportedly evacuated the train on Thursday morning before being collected by family and friends, the remaining half were reported to have remained on the train until January 12.These videos, taken by an onlooker, show efforts by a railway worker to shovel snow off the tracks in front of the train.At least one passenger was taken to hospital after falling ill, Japan Today reported</a>. The train’s heating and lighting system remained intact during the stop, it was reported, but passengers complained there was only one toilet which subsequently ran out of paper. Credit: Twitter/route_1109 via Storyful