HOKKAIDO (TR) – Hokkaido Prefectural Police are investigating a potential case of railway sabotage after a portable fuel canister was found abandoned on the tracks of the JR Chitose Line last week, reports TV Asahi (Sep. 29).
At shortly after 7:00 a.m. on September 25, the driver of the first Sapporo City-bound train departing from Chitose spotted the metal canister sitting directly between the rails in the Toiso area of Eniwa City.
The driver slammed on the emergency brakes, managing to bring the train to a halt just before striking the object. Police confirmed that no passengers or crew members were injured in the near-miss.
Investigators believe the canister was placed on the tracks intentionally by an unknown perpetrator.
The incident caused morning disruptions, with JR Hokkaido reporting the cancellation of two local trains running between Sapporo and Tomakomai.
Police are now looking into a possible connection between the discovery and a similar incident from June, in which a bicycle was deliberately placed on the tracks in the same vicinity and struck by a freight train.
