70,000 commuters delayed by quarrel over cell phone on train in Chiba
Wednesday 08th December, 09:19 AM JST
ICHIKAWA —
An argument on a Sobu line local train caused turmoil for tens of thousands of passengers in Chiba Prefecture on Tuesday morning. The incident involved two men arguing over the use of cell phones and caused the train to be delayed, which in turn affected dozens of other services running in both directions.
According to Ichikawa police, the incident started at around 6:40 a.m. Two office workers were sitting in the priority seats, speaking on their cell phones when another man sitting opposite them scolded them for their bad manners. He told them to get off at the next station and finish their call there, witnesses said.
One of the pair reportedly took exception to the suggestion and a dispute broke out. When the train pulled in to Ichikawa station, another passenger disembarked and sounded the emergency alarm situated on the platform.
The two men continued to argue on the platform. The man who had been admonished for using his cell phone called the police and accused the other man of assault, alleging that the latter had seized him by the wrist. The pair were taken to the police station and underwent questioning after which they apparently reconciled.
According to JR East, the quarrel caused delays to 47 services on the Sobu line, the maximum delay being 19 minutes which affected 28 services. JR East estimates that some 70,000 commuters were affected.
