OSAKA -- A passenger on a bullet train that had stopped at Okayama Station on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line on Jan. 5 pushed an emergency button to inquire about tickets with a conductor, causing 14 trains to be delayed, the operator announced.

At around 12:50 p.m., an emergency button was pressed on the Kodama No. 849 train bound for Hakata Station from Shin-Osaka Station, which was stopped at Okayama Station. The crew checked the train but found no abnormalities, and it departed after a delay of approximately 20 minutes.

According to West Japan Railway Co. (JR West), the trouble caused delays of up to 23 minutes on 14 inbound and outbound trains, affecting approximately 6,600 passengers.

Regarding inquiries to the conductor, a JR West representative said, "The emergency button is provided for emergencies. We would like passengers to find the conductor and contact them directly instead of pressing the button."

(Japanese original by Kana Takagi, Osaka City News Department)