One Monday morning, the JR Yamanote Line was suspended for nearly five hours from its first departure. It was a rare large-scale disruption of service due to a problem with the track equipment. Since it coincided with the morning commute in the extreme heat after the weekend, users of the Yamanote Line stations and private railway passengers who transfer there were in a state of confusion. When we see the Yamanote Line running normally, as it did tonight, we take it for granted, but perhaps we should consider that it is the result of a miraculous situation in which all the complex conditions are in place and functioning at full capacity.
ある月曜の朝、JR山手線が始発から5時間近く運休した。線路設備の不具合が原因で、珍しい大規模な運行の乱れだった。週末明けの酷暑の朝の通勤時間に重なったことから、山手線各駅の利用者とそこで乗り換えをする私鉄の乗客らは大混乱した。今夜のように山手線が正常に走行しているのを見ると、それを当然だと思ってしまうが、それはあらゆる複雑な条件が整いフルに機能しているという、ある意味、奇跡のような状況の結果なのだと考えるべきなのかもしれない。
©︎K. K. Yam