Bullet train travelled at 280kph with door open after cleaner forgot to close it

Conductor of super-fast train made emergency stop in tunnel

Japan's Alfa-X bullet train (AFP/Getty Images)

A Japanese bullet train moving at 280kph was forced to make an emergency stop after a cleaner left a door wide open.

The super-fast train was travelling from Sendai in the country’s northeast to the capital Tokyo when the alarming incident occurred.

The conductor of the Hayabusa No 46 brought the train to a sudden stop inside a tunnel in Shibata after noticing one of the carriage doors was completely open, according to the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi.

East Japan Railway Company, the operator of the “shinkansen” (bullet train), said a cleaner had forgotten to press close on a device that opens and closes the door.

None of the 340 passengers were standing near the open door during the 40 seconds it was left open on the speeding train. No-one was injured, the rail company said.

Safety incidents are rare on the shinkansen, and on the wider Japanese rail network, which is known for its efficiency and punctuality.

Japan’s transport ministry urged the railway company to take measures to prevent it happening again.

Earlier this year the East Japan Railway Co testing its fastest ever bullet train, which can reach speeds of up to 400kph.

For the first 10 years of the ultra-fast “Alfa-X” trains, an attendant will still be deployed on board to ensure nothing goes wrong. After that, the trains will be totally driverless.

Last year a Hello Kitty-themed bullet train ran between Osaka and Fukuoka for three months in a bid to attract tourists.