Shinkansen hits car at crossing

[cteno4]

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/29/national/bullet-train-bulldozes-car-in-yamagata-killing-driver/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bullet-train-bulldozes-car-in-yamagata-killing-driver#.UsCpvYy9KSM

 

Jeff

[Densha]

Do you know if car accidents at railway crossings happen regularly in Japan? I've never heard of it before but I guess it happens there sometimes as well. Maybe it only made the English news because it was a Shinkansen train? (even though it is a sort of conventional line)

[Kabutoni]

I remember some years ago this also happened on the Akita shinkansen. There are regular accidents with people on crossings. Especially elderly that trip and fall in a panic or get their roller carts stuck between the tracks are a victim. Cars, not so much, but it happens like anywhere else.

 

Law states you have to stop before a railway crossing, look for trains and then proceed. This may seem inefficient in traffic flow terms, but increases safety. It's more about safety than efficiency mostly here. :D

[westfalen]

I acually experienced one in 1998.  I was on a railcar on the Tadami line headed for Aizu-Wakamatsu when we hit a car on a crossing about 15 minutes from our destination. It was just a glancing blow with the only injury being the car's front bumper but we had to wait for a fresh driver to be brought out by car from Aizu-Wakamatsu before we could proceed.

[bikkuri bahn]

Given the tremendous number of grade crossings in Japan, both vehicle and pedestrian, there are unavoidably a good number of accidents.  There are numerous measures made to prevent these accidents- such as installation of optical obstruction detectors that are keyed with signals, laws such as T. Babelony mentioned above, and aggressive grade separation projects in urban areas, such as the upcoming project at Tobu Railway's Takenozuka Station.

 

[nscalestation]

I can't recall seeing any grade crossings on any of the Shinkansen lines that I've been on ( Tokaido, Tohoku, Joetsu, and Nagano ) and just assumed that they were all grade separated.  I suppose that I could have missed some.  

 

I wonder if the nose came off in the collision or if it is left off after separating from the train it was paired with back at Fukishima.  Other than that, there does not appear to be any damage to the train. 

 

[Densha]

The Yamagata Shinkansen uses the rebuilt 1067mm Ou Main Line between Fukushima and Shinjo,. The level crossings that were on the line were left intact.

[cteno4]

Akita shinkansen also has a grade crossing as well, but the rest dont on mainline tracks. but also reduced speeds in these areas as well.

 

jeff

[Mudkip Orange]

I think this is only in the news because you can write "Shinkansen"/"Bullet Train" and people think of a grade-separated 300km/h line.

 

When really this is a 100km/h twisty oldschool line like any other, it just happens to have through-running.

[westfalen]

I think this is only in the news because you can write "Shinkansen"/"Bullet Train" and people think of a grade-separated 300km/h line.

 

When really this is a 100km/h twisty oldschool line like any other, it just happens to have through-running.

I think you've hit the nail on the head there.

[keitaro]

accidents happen very often especially on the hanwa line. i think 5 or 6 last year alone