Groper flees on Tokyo tracks,halts rush hour trains

TOKYO, Sep 5 (Reuters) A man halted rush hour trains in Tokyo, affecting tens of thousands of commuters this morning, after groping a 15-year-old school girl on a train and fleeing along the rail lines.

The man in his 30s was apprehended after the attack and was taken off the train, but then jumped off the platform onto the tracks and fled, police said.

Seeing someone on the tracks, a train operator transmitted an emergency signal, stopping all of the trains in the vicinity, affecting an estimated 80,000 commuters.

Such attacks are not uncommon on Tokyo's commuter trains and police and railway companies have in recent years stepped up efforts to stop them -- including introducing women-only carriages during rush hours.

Today's suspect is still at large, police said.

REUTERS CS RAI1304