According to a recent survey of the East Japan Railway Company or JR East, dropped cell phones have caused more than 20 percent of train delays in Japan.
The survey, conducted in Tokyo and six prefectures in eastern Japan from April to May, showed that 23 percent of the 229 train delays caused by objects falling onto tracks were attributed to passengers accidentally dropping their smartphones.
Aside from mobile phones, other falling objects that caused delays included hats, umbrellas and shoes.
Retrieving any fallen object from the tracks sometimes forced the company to halt the services, especially when another train is approaching the station.
As complaints about passengers using their mobile phones in stations continue to rise, the company said it is stepping up the effort against the use of mobile phones when boarding or getting off trains.
In November 2015, JR East collaborated with three Japanese mobile phone carriers to come up with a campaign cautioning passengers against using their smartphones while walking on train platforms.
Posters were displayed at train stations warning passengers not to use their mobile phones while walking on platforms to avoid accidents.
In 2010, two phone calls caused a 20-minute delay for the more than 70,000 train passengers in the country.
The problem started when two mobile-phone using passengers were encouraged by a fellow passenger to disembark in order for them to finish their respective calls. But when the two refused to disembark or hang up, a near-violent encounter ensued, prompting another commuter to pull the emergency alarm upon arrival at the station.
Trains are a major means of public transport in corporate Japan, home to some of the world’s busiest railway stations.
