Express Train Kills Four Workers on Tracks North of Tokyo

Four male workers in their 50s and 60s died on Thursday morning after being struck by a Spacia X express train at Shin-Kanuma Station on the Tobu Nikko Line in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

The train operator, Tobu Railway Co., stated the train was entering the station at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. The workers were on the tracks removing weeds when the accident occurred around 10:45 a.m. local time. The train was bound for Asakusa in Tokyo. None of the train's crew or passengers were injured.

Police are interviewing witnesses and investigating the circumstances, including whether the train driver applied emergency brakes and if information about the approaching train was properly communicated to the workers. The Kanto District Transport Bureau has dispatched investigators and urged the train operator to investigate the cause, implement preventive measures, and ensure operational safety. The transport ministry has also sent investigators to the scene.