Amagasaki rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Amagasaki rail crash occurred on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time (00:19 UTC), just after the local rush hour
. The Rapid Service (a seven-car commuter train) came off the tracks on the West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line)
in Amagasaki
, Hyōgo Prefecture
, near Osaka
, just before Amagasaki Station
on its way for Dōshisha-mae via the JR Tōzai Line
and the Gakkentoshi Line
, and the front two carriages rammed into an apartment building. The first carriage slid into the first floor parking garage and as a result took days to remove. Of the roughly 700 passengers (initial estimate was 580 passengers) on board at the time of the crash, 106 passengers, in addition to the driver, were killed and 555 others injured. Most passengers and bystanders have said that the train appeared to have been travelling too fast. The incident was Japan
's most serious since the 1963 Yokohama rail crash
in which two passenger trains collided with a derailed freight train, killing 162 people.
Investigators have focused on speeding by the twenty-three-year-old driver, Ryūjirō Takami (who was among the dead), as being the most likely cause of the accident. It is claimed that he overshot the previous station on the line before the wreck, causing a ninety second delay. Investigators speculate that the driver may have been attempting to make up this lost time by increasing the train's speed beyond customary limits. Many reports from surviving passengers indicate that the train was travelling faster than normal. In mid-2004, the same driver had been reprimanded for overshooting a station by one hundred meters.
The Japanese culture is quite strict when it comes to punctuality, with commuters often depending on near-perfect timing on the part of trains to commute to and from work on time. This is because at stations (including the train's next scheduled stop, Amagasaki Station) trains meet on both sides of the same platform to allow people to transfer between express and local trains running on the same line. As a result, a small delay in one train can significantly cascade through the timetable due to the tightness of the schedule. Immediately after the rail crash occurred, some of the mass media pointed to the congested schedule of the Fukuchiyama Line
as an indirect factor. In fact, cumulative changes over the previous three years had reduced the leeway in the train's schedule from 71 to 28 seconds over the 15 minutes between Takarazuka and Amagasaki stations.
Drivers face financial penalties for lateness as well as being forced into harsh and humiliating "Nikkin Kyoiku" retraining programs. The final report concluded that the retraining system was the most probable cause of incident.
The speed limit
on the segment of track where the derailment happened was 70 km/h (43.5 mph). A data recorder in the rear of the train (the rear cars were quite new and equipped with many extra devices) later showed that the train was moving at 100 km/h (62 mph) at that point, but investigators estimate that the train would have had to be going approximately twice the speed limit (140 km/h or 87 mph) to spontaneously derail, which is faster than the carriages were capable of propelling themselves. At least one report has suggested investigators examined the possibility there were stones on the line.
Japanese building codes currently do not regulate the distance between train lines and residential buildings due to high confidence in the engineering of the rail system. Railway lines often pass close to residential buildings in metropolitan areas.
It is believed that a contributing factor in the accident was the JR West policy of schedule punctuality. As a result of this, Masataka Ide, JR West adviser who played a major role in enforcing the punctuality of the company's trains, announced that he would resign in June 2005 at the company's annual shareholder meeting, with the company's chairman and president resigning in August.
The section where the crash occurred, between Amagasaki and Takarazuka stations, was re-opened for service on June 19, 2005. The speed limits were reduced for the straight and curved rail sections around the accident site: formerly 120 km/h (straight zone) and 70 km/h (curved zone), currently 95 km/h (straight zone) and 60 km/h (curved zone).
According to the investigations carried out by the Hyōgo Prefecture police, out of the 107 deaths, at least 43 (27 men, 16 women), including the driver, were in the first car, at least 45 (22 men, 23 women) were in the second car, and at least one was in the third car. This information was determined by questioning 519 of the approximately 550 injured passengers.
On December 26, 2005, Takeshi Kakiuchi officially resigned from the presidency of JR West in a move intended to take responsibility for the accident. Kakiuchi's successor was Masao Yamazaki, who previously served as the railway's vice president, based in Osaka
. While Kakiuchi's resignation came a day after another serious accident on JR East, officials at the railway did not make any explicit connection between the recent accident and the resignation.
Although a number of senior officials resigned their posts with JR West, ostensibly to take responsibility for the accident, many were later given senior positions with affiliated companies.
A 2008 The Daily Yomiuri article stated that survivors of the disaster still faced physical and mental health issues.
On July 8, 2009, West Japan Railway Co. President Masao Yamazaki was charged with negligence. On the same day, he announced at a press briefing in Osaka that he would resign, "so the company can operate normally." Yamazaki will remain a member of JR West's board.
, 1906 - 28 killed Malbone Street Wreck
, 1918 in New York - 98 people killed Camp Mountain train disaster
, 1947 - 16 killed Sutton Coldfield train disaster, 1955 - 17 killed Morpeth rail crashes, 1969, 1984, 1994 - a total of 6 killed in three separate accidents Eltham Well Hall rail crash
, 1972 - 6 killed Brühl train disaster
, 2000 - 9 killed Waterfall train disaster
, 2003 - 7 killed Rosedale train crash, 2004 2006 Valencia metro accident
- 41 killed
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
. The Rapid Service (a seven-car commuter train) came off the tracks on the West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
Fukuchiyama Line (JR Takarazuka Line)
Fukuchiyama Line
The is a railway line of West Japan Railway between Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to Sasayamaguchi is also called the JR Takarazuka Line...
in Amagasaki
Amagasaki, Hyogo
is an industrial city located in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on April 1, 1916. Its population is around 460,000, below its peak of over 554,000 in 1971.-History:...
, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, near Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, just before Amagasaki Station
Amagasaki Station (JR West)
is a train station on the Tōkaidō Main Line , Fukuchiyama Line and JR Tōzai Line of JR West, located in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, opened in 1874. Until 1997, Amagasaki was only a local stop, but it has since become a major junction with the opening of the JR Tōzai Line...
on its way for Dōshisha-mae via the JR Tōzai Line
JR Tozai Line
is one of several Metro / commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, operated by West Japan Railway Company. The line, whose name literally means "east-west", runs underground through central Osaka and connects the Gakkentoshi Line at Kyobashi Station in Osaka and the...
and the Gakkentoshi Line
Gakkentoshi Line
The , nicknamed officially the , is one of commuter rail lines and services in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, Japan, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company...
, and the front two carriages rammed into an apartment building. The first carriage slid into the first floor parking garage and as a result took days to remove. Of the roughly 700 passengers (initial estimate was 580 passengers) on board at the time of the crash, 106 passengers, in addition to the driver, were killed and 555 others injured. Most passengers and bystanders have said that the train appeared to have been travelling too fast. The incident was Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's most serious since the 1963 Yokohama rail crash
Yokohama rail crash
The occurred on November 9, 1963 between Tsurumi Station and Shin-Koyasu Station on the Tōkaidō Main Line in Yokohama, Japan, about south of Tokyo, when two passenger trains collided with a derailed freight train, killing 162 people.-Accident:...
in which two passenger trains collided with a derailed freight train, killing 162 people.
Cause
The Japanese culture is quite strict when it comes to punctuality, with commuters often depending on near-perfect timing on the part of trains to commute to and from work on time. This is because at stations (including the train's next scheduled stop, Amagasaki Station) trains meet on both sides of the same platform to allow people to transfer between express and local trains running on the same line. As a result, a small delay in one train can significantly cascade through the timetable due to the tightness of the schedule. Immediately after the rail crash occurred, some of the mass media pointed to the congested schedule of the Fukuchiyama Line
Fukuchiyama Line
The is a railway line of West Japan Railway between Osaka and Fukuchiyama, Japan. Within JR West's "Urban Network" covering the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan region, the line from Osaka to Sasayamaguchi is also called the JR Takarazuka Line...
as an indirect factor. In fact, cumulative changes over the previous three years had reduced the leeway in the train's schedule from 71 to 28 seconds over the 15 minutes between Takarazuka and Amagasaki stations.
Drivers face financial penalties for lateness as well as being forced into harsh and humiliating "Nikkin Kyoiku" retraining programs. The final report concluded that the retraining system was the most probable cause of incident.
The speed limit
Speed limit
Road speed limits are used in most countries to regulate the speed of road vehicles. Speed limits may define maximum , minimum or no speed limit and are normally indicated using a traffic sign...
on the segment of track where the derailment happened was 70 km/h (43.5 mph). A data recorder in the rear of the train (the rear cars were quite new and equipped with many extra devices) later showed that the train was moving at 100 km/h (62 mph) at that point, but investigators estimate that the train would have had to be going approximately twice the speed limit (140 km/h or 87 mph) to spontaneously derail, which is faster than the carriages were capable of propelling themselves. At least one report has suggested investigators examined the possibility there were stones on the line.
Japanese building codes currently do not regulate the distance between train lines and residential buildings due to high confidence in the engineering of the rail system. Railway lines often pass close to residential buildings in metropolitan areas.
Aftermath
Amongst other things, the Ministry of Land and Transportation asked all railway companies to update their automatic stopping systems so that trains brake automatically to slow down as they approach sharp curves.It is believed that a contributing factor in the accident was the JR West policy of schedule punctuality. As a result of this, Masataka Ide, JR West adviser who played a major role in enforcing the punctuality of the company's trains, announced that he would resign in June 2005 at the company's annual shareholder meeting, with the company's chairman and president resigning in August.
The section where the crash occurred, between Amagasaki and Takarazuka stations, was re-opened for service on June 19, 2005. The speed limits were reduced for the straight and curved rail sections around the accident site: formerly 120 km/h (straight zone) and 70 km/h (curved zone), currently 95 km/h (straight zone) and 60 km/h (curved zone).
According to the investigations carried out by the Hyōgo Prefecture police, out of the 107 deaths, at least 43 (27 men, 16 women), including the driver, were in the first car, at least 45 (22 men, 23 women) were in the second car, and at least one was in the third car. This information was determined by questioning 519 of the approximately 550 injured passengers.
On December 26, 2005, Takeshi Kakiuchi officially resigned from the presidency of JR West in a move intended to take responsibility for the accident. Kakiuchi's successor was Masao Yamazaki, who previously served as the railway's vice president, based in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. While Kakiuchi's resignation came a day after another serious accident on JR East, officials at the railway did not make any explicit connection between the recent accident and the resignation.
Although a number of senior officials resigned their posts with JR West, ostensibly to take responsibility for the accident, many were later given senior positions with affiliated companies.
A 2008 The Daily Yomiuri article stated that survivors of the disaster still faced physical and mental health issues.
On July 8, 2009, West Japan Railway Co. President Masao Yamazaki was charged with negligence. On the same day, he announced at a press briefing in Osaka that he would resign, "so the company can operate normally." Yamazaki will remain a member of JR West's board.
Too fast around sharp curve
Salisbury rail crashSalisbury rail crash
In the Salisbury rail crash of 1 July 1906, a London and South Western Railway boat train from Plymouth's Friary railway station to London Waterloo station failed to navigate a very sharp curve at the eastern end of Salisbury railway station. The curve had a speed limit of 30 mph, but the express...
, 1906 - 28 killed Malbone Street Wreck
Malbone Street Wreck
The Malbone Street Wreck, also known as the Brighton Beach Line Accident of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company , was a rapid transit railroad accident that occurred November 1, 1918, beneath the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue, and Malbone Street, in the community of Flatbush, Brooklyn...
, 1918 in New York - 98 people killed Camp Mountain train disaster
Camp Mountain train disaster
The Camp Mountain rail accident occurred at approximately 9:48am on 5 May 1947 when a crowded picnic train derailed on a sharp left-hand curve between Ferny Grove and Camp Mountain stations on the now-closed Dayboro line, approximately northwest of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland,...
, 1947 - 16 killed Sutton Coldfield train disaster, 1955 - 17 killed Morpeth rail crashes, 1969, 1984, 1994 - a total of 6 killed in three separate accidents Eltham Well Hall rail crash
Eltham Well Hall rail crash
The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35.An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. The driver and five passengers were killed, and...
, 1972 - 6 killed Brühl train disaster
Brühl train disaster
The Brühl train disaster happened on 6 February 2000 in the Brühl, Germany, railway station on the West Rhine railway. A train negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people....
, 2000 - 9 killed Waterfall train disaster
Waterfall train disaster
The Waterfall rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 31 January 2003 near Waterfall, New South Wales, Australia. The train derailed, killing seven people aboard, including the train driver.-Incident:...
, 2003 - 7 killed Rosedale train crash, 2004 2006 Valencia metro accident
2006 Valencia metro accident
The Valencia Metro derailment occurred in Valencia, Spain's third largest city, on July 3, 2006, at 1 p.m. CEST between Jesús and Plaça d'Espanya stations on the Line 1 of the Valencia Metro mass transit system...
- 41 killed