A fire that started with a short circuit in a water heater between a video arcade and a pachinko parlor shutdown Shinkansen lines in the heart of Tokyo during the peak of the New Year's holiday rush. During the fire more than 100 Shinkansen trains were suspended and 317,000 passengers affected.
During peak periods Shinkansen trains each carrying 1,600 passengers typically run every 3-4 minutes.
News video in Japanese:
Japanese railfan video inside Shin-Osaka station during the delay.
