Four track workers killed by express train at Shin-Kanuma Station in Japan

Collision at Shin-Kanuma Station

Four track maintenance workers died on Thursday, 20 August 2026, after being struck by a limited express train at Shin-Kanuma Station in Tochigi Prefecture, roughly 130 kilometres north of Tokyo. The collision took place around 10:46 local time (01:46 GMT) on the Tobu Nikko Line, a route connecting the Japanese capital with the tourist destination of Nikko. The train involved was a six-car limited express service operated by Tobu Railway Co., travelling from Tobu-nikko Station toward Asakusa Station in Tokyo. Limited express trains represent the second-fastest tier of rail travel in Japan, behind only high-speed Shinkansen bullet trains. The victims, all men in their 50s and 60s, were performing maintenance work to clear weeds along the active tracks when the inbound train entered the station area.

Emergency response and casualties

A total of seven workers were carrying out weed-clearing tasks along the railway right-of-way when the train approached. First responders received the earliest emergency call reporting the collision at approximately 10:45 local time, with a subsequent alert logged by the local fire department at 10:47. Upon arrival at Shin-Kanuma Station, emergency rescue personnel discovered three workers trapped beneath the carriages of the train, while the fourth victim was found lying on the station platform. A spokesperson from the local fire department described the scene encountered by initial responders.

When emergency services arrived at the scene, three workers were still trapped under the train, while the fourth was on the platform.

Paramedics transported all four men to a hospital in the city of Kanuma in an unconscious state, where medical staff confirmed that all four had died. Approximately 50 passengers were travelling aboard the six-car train at the time of the collision, and authorities reported that no passengers sustained injuries.

Passenger accounts and service suspension

Tobu Railway suspended train operations across the Tobu Nikko Line immediately after the impact to permit emergency operations and on-site evidence collection. Passengers inside the carriages reported feeling sharp emergency braking immediately following an audible impact from beneath the train. Public broadcaster NHK spoke with a 40-year-old male passenger who described the experience on board.

We heard a dull thud. Then the train came to an emergency stop with braking so sharp it was impossible to stay standing.

Following the sudden halt, announcements informed travellers that the train had stopped to inspect the cause of the noise. Passengers remained confined inside the carriages while railway staff and police inspected the exterior of the train and the surrounding tracks.

Investigation into workplace safety protocols

Prefectural police and transport authorities opened an inquiry into the operational oversight and safety measures active at the work site. Standard railway operating rules in Japan mandate that a designated lookout supervisor must monitor incoming rail traffic and alert ground crews when trains approach. Inquiries reported by NHK and the Asahi Shimbun are examining whether an assigned safety watcher was present and why the maintenance crew was unable to clear the track in time. Fatal accidents remain rare across Japan's rail system, which relies on strict maintenance protocols and training standards. Prior rail accidents in Japan include an April 2005 commuter derailment in Amagasaki near Osaka that killed 107 people and injured more than 500, as well as a 1963 multi-train collision that resulted in 161 deaths.