Special Feature Article
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Special feature article Toward the “World's Safest Railway” that Passengers can Ride Free From Anxiety Norihiko Mandai General Manager of Shinkansen Transport Department. (Former General Manager of Transport Safety Department) Even since the company was founded, "Safety" has been ranked as the top priority item for management, and all employees of the company have been making a unified effort to create a reliable railway system that will win the confidence of passengers. As a result, the number of railway operating accidents has been reduced to less than 40 percent what it was immediately after the company was founded. We are now committed to further improvement of safety based on the "New Frontier 21" as a medium-term buisiness plan of the JR East group. To improve the "Safety" of the entire JR East group, it is important for 1 Introduction each organization to take a positive stance in achieving safety. Based On June 21, 2002, JR East was completely privatized after termination on the recognition that safety is created by independent individuals of the sales procedures for 500,000 shares of JR East owned by Japan and organizations, we are aiming at creating the climate where Railway Construction Corporation. On this date, independent "safety" is improved by each employee of each member company of management was established and the company had to operate at its the group at his or her own responsibility. own responsibility. From now on, the real strength of the JR East group will be proven. Creating a climate for safety (toward improvement 2 of the safety-oriented consciousness of each employee) In the "New Frontier 21" as a medium-term business plan of the JR East group for five years starting from fiscal 2001, one of the targets 2.1 Creating a climate for discussing safety for this group is to grow into a "Trusted Life-Style Service Creating JR East is committed to safety measures where voluntary and Group." Here the basis for forming our brand images of "steady, independent efforts by each employee are highly appreciated. reliable and feel easy" is "safety." Specific examples of these activities include a "CS campaign" In two five-year safety programs, investment in excess of a total of (Challenge/Safety movement) where each employee is required to one trillion yen was devoted to safety facilities. At present, based on contribute to safety in his or her working environment, a "Safety the "Safety Plan 21" (five-year program from fiscal 1999 to 2003 where Caravan" where the management people of the head office visit the the target is "No injury to passengers & No fatality to employees" as a fields of each branch office every year, a "Safety Symposium" where third five-year safety program), we are implementing the safety safety is discussed from a broader perspective, and a "Safety Forum" program by inheriting the policies established so far, while making a held in each branch office. These activities are held every year. required review. In November 2002, "International Railway Safety Conference" was held in Tokyo. This was the 12th conference, which was attended by 66 people from 20 countries and regions -- a total of 520 people 400 376 including the participants from Japan -- to discuss railway and safety. 315 287 300 2.2 "Safety" as learnt from past accidents 240 247 210 209 Sixteen years have passed since the foundation of JR. In the current 200 168 165 164 situation where systematization and alternation of generations take 160 152 136 142 (Cases of accident) 121 place, it is important to make effective use of the lessons learnt from 100 past accidents, and to teach the essentials of safety to the employees engaged in the railway business and employees working for the 0 group companies. To assist in this undertaking, a "Hall for 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 (Fiscal year) chronological exhibition of accidents" was established in the JR East General Education Center located in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Fig. 1 Transition of cases of railway operating accidents Prefecture on November 1, 2002. In fiscal 2002, about 2300 people 040 JR EAST Technical Review-No.2 Special feature article-2 received education and training in order to raise the safety 2.3 Study on human factor consciousness of the employees. To keep pace with the progress of technology, we made various systematization efforts. In recent years, however, more attention has been paid to human-induced errors that cannot be corrected by the system. In our Safety Research Laboratory, we have continued to make efforts for further studies of human factors. 3 Improvement of safety equipment 3.1 Measures against train collisions In response to the Mikawashima Accident on the Joban Line, Model ATS-S, an automatic train stop device, had been installed on all the lines of the Japanese National Railways. Then ATS-P was introduced on the Keiyo Line in December 1988. It is provided with a speed check function and is characterized by a higher degree of safety than Fig. 2 The accident history exhibition the ATS-S. Since that time, this device has been installed on the main Line section for installation Minmaya Ominato Expanded view of Nikko of safety equipment Nakaoguni (Shin) metropolitan area Karasuyama (as of end of March 2002) Hoshakuji Aomori Shin-maebashi Utsunomiya Maebashi Takasaki Hachinohe Odate Yokokawa Kuragano Tomobe Mito Higashi-noshiro Oyama Katsuta Oga Kuji Akita Koma Morioka Iwaizumi Kashima- Omagari Soccer-Stadium Okutama Komagawa Yokote Hanamaki Miyako Oume Omiya Abiko Toride Kofu Sakata Akabane Narita Kitakami Musashi- Haijima Katori Amarume itsukaichi Shin-matsudo Kamaishi Mitaka Ueno Narita-airport Hachioji Sakura Ichinoseki Tachikawa Tokyo Chiba Choshi Shinjo Sakari Takao Narutou Hashimoto Soga Aterazawa Kogota Kesennuma Yokohama Oami Sakamachi Ayashi Rifu Niigata Sakuragi-cho Uchino Zao Onagawa Chigasaki Yahiko Shibata Yamagata Ishinomaki Niitsu Sendai Ofuna Kisarazu Shiroishi Odawara Kazusa-ichinomiya Yonezawa Kashiwazaki Iwanuma Kurihama Kimitsu Higashisanjo Atami Miyauchi Fukushima Kazusa- Aizuwakamatsu kameyama Naoetsu Minami-otari Koide Koriyama Awa-kamogawa Ito Nagano Iwaki Nikko Kuroiso Matsumoto Komoro Omae Shibukawa Yokokawa Shin-Maebashi Karasuyama Shiojiri Hitachiota Planned line Improved Takasaki Utsunomiya <Legend> ATC section section Oyama Katsuta Kobuchizawa Tomobe Mito ATC, ATS-SN Okutama Oume ATC, ATS-P, SN ATC 185.3km 185.3km Musashi- Omiya Kashima- Kofu Abiko ATS-P Itsukaichi Soccer-Stadium Narita ATS-P, SN ATS-P 1847.0km 1576.3km Takao Chiba ATS-Ps Choshi Odawara ATS-SN Kinomiya ATS-Ps 225.8km 73.3km Kisarazu ATS-P under construction Kurihama ATS-Ps under construction Kazusa-ichinomiya Ito Kimitsu 100 km from Tokyo Fig. 3 Installation status of operation safety equipment JR EAST Technical Review-No.2 041 Special Feature Article Fig. 4 Track possesion procedure support system and train operating status checking system line section in the Tokyo area. pattern for each frequency is produced to check the train speed. This In the fourth term construction program for fiscal 2001, use of this was followed by the instruction of this system into the Tohoku Line device was extended on the Tohoku Line (from Koganei to (from Shiroishi to Iwanuma), Echigo Line (from Niigata to Uchino), Utsunomiya), Joban Line (from Tsuchiura to Katsuta), Chuo Line Senseki Line (from Aobadori to Higashi Shiogama). In the future, this (from Otsuki to Kofu), Tokaido Line (from Odawara to Kinomiya), system will be extended in the Sendai and Niigata areas. Sagami Line (from Chigasaki to Hashimoto) and Hachiko Line (from We are implementing a plan of installing a digital ATC totally different Hachioji to Komagawa). In the fifth term construction program for from the conventional ATC. In this system, the position of a fiscal 2002, use of the device was further extended on the Joetsu Line preceding train is sent by digital signal from a ground-based station, (from Shin-maebashi to Shibukawa) and Ryoumou Line (from Shin- and the optimum brake control is implemented on board the car with maebashi to Maebashi). Currently, the construction program is also consideration given to the track conditions such as a curvature or being implemented to introduce this device on other line sections. slope. Introduction of this digital ATC system improves the riding Upon completion of this program, the device will have been comfort of the passenger and provides assistance to the train operator introduced on the section extending about 1,800 km in and around by reporting the position of a preceding train. This ensures more the Tokyo area (100 kilometers). smooth and effective operations. In the sections where ATS-P had not been introduced, ATS-SN has The digital ATC is currently employed on the Tohoku Shinkansen been in use since November 1989 for improved operating safety, (from Morioka to Hachinohe) that started commercial operations on whereby the emergency brake is applied immediately before the train December 1, 2002. For the narrow gauge lines, the system will be comes to a stop signal. Installation of this device was completed for introduced into the Keihin Tohoku Line in fiscal 2003 and into the all line sections by 1992. Yamanote Line in fiscal 2005. ATS-Ps was introduced into on the Senzan Line (from Sendai to Ayashi) in December 2001. To increase the safety further, this system 3.2 Ensuring safety during maintenance work has a function added to the ATS-SN, and an independent brake Maintenance has to be carried out close to the tracks. This makes it 042 JR EAST Technical Review-No.2 Special feature article-2 very important to ensure safety of the maintenance personnel. It is maintenance personnel and trains depends solely on the attention of also important to prevent collisions between trains and maintenance the train watcher.