Luxury Train Tour Canceled After Crew Alcohol Misconduct

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has been forced to cancel a planned tour of its luxury overnight Train Suite Shiki-shima. The cancellation was announced on August 21st, following the discovery of crew members drinking alcohol while on duty.

The company stated that the misconduct made it impossible to secure a sufficient number of replacement crew members to maintain operations. The incident involved several crew members from JR East View Tourism and Sales Co., a subsidiary responsible for customer services on the train.

Over a period of years, six crew members were found to have repeatedly consumed wine and champagne intended for passengers. This occurred in lounges and other areas of the train during their breaks. Staff are strictly prohibited from drinking on the trains, with the exception of sample tasting for quality control purposes.

As a consequence, the six crew members were disciplined and removed from their customer service roles. The Train Suite Shiki-shima offers seasonal tours throughout eastern Japan and Hokkaido, with itineraries lasting from one to three nights. Each train typically has a crew of around ten members.

The misconduct resulted in a shortage of approximately one-quarter of the necessary crew members. Due to the lengthy training period required for new crew members, which exceeds six months, the company was compelled to cancel a scheduled tour. The affected tour was a one-night trip scheduled to depart from Ueno Station on August 30th, with a route through Niigata and Nagano prefectures, and a capacity of 34 passengers.

JR East has confirmed that all participants of the canceled tour will receive full refunds and will be given priority for future tour bookings. The company issued an apology, expressing deep regret for the inconvenience and concern caused by the incident.