Conductor punished for riding train while drunk

NIKKO, Tochigi -- A railway conductor has been suspended from duty for being drunk on the job, Yagan Tetsudo railway officials said on Friday.

The 30-year-old conductor has been demoted to an office worker and three of his bosses have been punished over his wrongdoing.

"We are sorry about the incident. We will improve our staff training," a company official said.

The conductor got on a Aizu Kinugawa Line train that left Aizu Tajima Station on the morning of May 4 for Asakusa in downtown Tokyo. After a passenger reported the smell of Japanese sake to Shin-Fujiwara Station workers, the company had the conductor replaced at Kawaji Onsen Station.

"I drank two cups of sake at the accommodation facility at Shin-Fujiwara Station at about 11:30 p.m. the night before because I couldn't sleep," the conductor was quoted as saying.