Japan’s trains are often admired around the world for their punctuality and efficiency, and for their advancement in technology. But they are currently under scrutiny after a driver left the cockpit while the train was travelling at a speed of 150 kilometres per hour (90 miles per hour) while 160 passengers were on board on May 16, reports CNN.

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The driver, aged 36, left Hikari No. 633 train’s cockpit to go to the bathroom for around three minutes after he asked a conductor, who was not a licensed driver, to take charge of the train while he was gone. The incident took place around 8:15 am local time as the train cruised from between Atami station to Mishima station in Shizuoka Prefecture, Central Japan Railway Co, reports CNN.

Train conductors take charge of getting people in and out of the train, and some other tasks, but they do not drive the vehicle. The driver later apologised for his actions, saying that the extended toilet break was the result of abdominal pain. And he added that he did not stop at the nearest station because he did not want to cause a delay, reports CNN.

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JR Central, a company that operates the government-owned Tokaido Shinkansen Line, linking between Tokyo and Shin-Osaka, stated that this was the first time a driver of a bullet train left the cockpit of a moving train while there were passengers in the vehicle. The company added that it would reinforce tighter rules and create awareness for best practices, going forward, reports CNN.