The Japanese Railway Investigation Industry

As a body which was set to oversee development of the railway system, the Railway Investigation Office had the main function of carrying out studies, applying the results gotten from the studies and testing out the materials. In 1913, it became known as the Research Institute before it was restructured in 1942 as the Railway Technical Research Institute. The standards of the railway in Japan had fallen behind those of other railways around the world by 1945 (Seojima 5). This realization prompted the government to act by importing recent technologies from abroad (Gordon 246). The Japanese National Railway executives started with recruiting top engineers and technicians from private companies and former navy and army laboratories so as to empower …show more content…
They have managed to develop ways of preventing accidents such as derailments and train collisions (Seojima 8). There has been noted decline in the number of train derailments, whereas a steady decrease has also been realized in the number of accidents involving trains. The decline in the number of derailments and train accidents is solely as a result of the research and technology employed towards the prevention of accidents. Nevertheless, isolated cases of accidents are still noted; one major example can be traced back in the year 2000, when a wheel-climb derailment occurred on the Hibiya subway track in Tokyo (National n.p). This particular accident prompted quick action from the RTRI who began more studies to gain more knowledge concerning wheel-climb derailments. The studies yielded that such derailments are as a result of various circumstances which include, high degree lateral track distortion, high derailment coefficient and a high reduction in wheel …show more content…
Their efforts have included controlling cases such as vehicles causing accidents on level crossing and development of ways to ensure the reduction of human errors. Being that Japan is a country that is prone to earthquakes, RTRI has also teamed up with the Japan Meteorological Agency in an effort of creating systems that can put a stop to train mishaps whenever there is an earthquake (Seojima 8). This particular project is focused on systems that would be able to stop trains at an instant in the case of an earthquake and seamlessly resume operations once the earthquake has passed. As far as the research on reduction of human error is concerned, a simple evaluation of aptitude is sufficient. The psychological aptitude of the train technicians, engineers and operators is definitely an area of focus for the RTRI, given the technological advancements already put in place. The new age also promises the more safety mechanisms on trains such as sensors which monitor what is in front of the