JR says it will take 2 weeks to remove bullet train derailed by quake

Safety first, no need to hurry.

surprising, but I guess it was never a priority to plan for the aftermath of a disaster

Got to give credit to JR for the safety record of Japan's shinkansen.

Workers used jack stands to lift the cars and put them back on the tracks.

Inaccurate; a jack is used to lift a vehicle off the ground, jack stands are used to hold it in place.

A sliding jack stand would be required to move cars back on to tracks.

Two weeks for Japan is lightning fast. I'm stunned they didn't say a month...or three. That's an entire route cut off for a fortnight. Do they not have contingency plans in place for when earthquakes strike so cleanup and removal is done swiftly?

In the initial photos it seemed the train had derailed on an elevated section, with concrete walls and box-like structure above it, plus those power cables, a real nightmare place to get machinery into.

Then they found that the muddy farmland around there, being close to a river, wobbles in an earthquake more than elsewhere, leading to serious cracks and other damage to the overpass supports. All of that repair will take time to sequence and sort.

PS Those two weeks are step one, i.e. just to remove the train... according to the article.

With the original, 1964 Shinkansen, a train traveling at top speed took about 1.7 kilometers to come to a full halt, if memory serves me right. The later models travel even faster, but I don't know if their braking systems improved. The trains' onboard computers are programmed to stop when a strong quake is detected, so I suppose the train was in the process of braking when it went off the rails.

Only 2 weeks? Astonishingly fast.

It pays to remember no fatal accidents have ever been recorded for 7 decades of Shinkansen operation. I really cant think of any safer means of transport than Shinkansen.

Nothing to be complain about Japanese railway system. It's no. 1 in the world. Relax.

Nothing to be complain about Japanese railway system. It's no. 1 in the world. Relax.

Umm - who is complaining? Most people here are full of praise and stunned at how quickly it will be repaired.

For the person complaining about putting 17 rail cars back on the tracks requiring two weeks of work, I have watched Union (Useless) Pacific Railroad crews struggle all night just to put a single freight car back on the tracks after it derailed. The railroad had all the necessary equipment. There were no power lines overhead, bridge railings or other obstructions to work around and the ground alongside the tracks was firm. Rail cars are big heavy objects. Lifting them and placing them back on the tracks is not easy to do, and the tracks have to be carefully inspected to ensure it wasn't a problem with the rails or roadbed that caused the derailment.

Meanwhile back in the dark ages here in the UK they cancel trains on a regular basis now due to a lack of drivers. Whilst I used to criticise rail management practices in Japan and their weak unions I probably take that back.

@TTD, Meanwhile back in the dark ages here in the UK they cancel trains on a regular basis now due to a lack of drivers, hahaha! and dont forget our 1980,s super slow, sorry fast HS125, most modern cars engines are now euro 6 emission (dolfin friendly), yet they still keep using this pile of old diesel junk, the whole net work should be electric. The UK would still be filling in risk assessments etc in 6 weeks time we might get around to doing something, but wait, someone will demand an enquiry in to the disaster, just a few more weeks, two weeks to clear away the shinkansen train, repair the track, and get back to normality is dam good going I think.

If post 3.11 is anything to go by - I foresee a full resumption of regular timetables services by Golden Week. Certainly not 'months'. Maybe some limited schedule prior to this. You clearly weren't here during that time @Zoroto when the damage to Shinkansen tracks and bridges and damage to the Tohoku Highway was far more serious.