Continuing the tradition of my blog, every day of this year is dedicated to the 107 lives lost and over 1500+ (counting each passenger on board has at least two next-of-kin) changed on this day, April 25th 2005, when a JR Fukuchiyama Line Rapid Service train derailed and crashed into an apartment building’s ground floor area.

Picture from The Golden-toks

The present color for the JR West Series 207 is as above. Series 321 is also colored in the same style.

Every year this accident brings back the same questions; is railway travel safer than before? Are humans still dependent on safety devices to prevent an accident from happening? Are yesterday’s safety devices still valid today?

As the 5-year deadline for civil lawsuits pending to this accident drawing to a close, three ex-JR West Chairmen were charged with operational negligence resulting in fatalities. The charge mentioned “This accident can be foreseen, negligence in informing the Railway Department to install ATS (Automatic Train Stop)”.

Article from Yomiuri News:

ＪＲ西歴代３社長を強制起訴…福知山線事故

２００５年４月、兵庫県尼崎市で起きたＪＲ福知山線脱線事故で検事役の指定弁護士は２３日、ＪＲ西日本の歴代社長３人を業務上過失致死傷罪で神戸地裁に在宅起訴した。

起訴状では「事故の危険性を予見できたのに、自動列車停止装置（ＡＴＳ）の整備を鉄道本部長に指示すべき注意義務を怠った過失がある」と指摘した。同社関係者によると、３人は公判で無罪を主張する意向だ。

改正検察審査会法に基づく「起訴議決」を経て指定弁護士が強制起訴するのは、兵庫県明石市の歩道橋事故に次ぎ全国２件目。

起訴されたのは井手正敬(まさたか)（７５）、南谷(なんや)昌二郎（６８）、垣内剛（６６）の元社長３人。神戸地検が同罪で在宅起訴した山崎正夫・前社長（６６）を含め、社長経験者４人が刑事責任を問われる。

起訴状によると、ＪＲ西は輸送力増強と収益拡大の経営方針から、１９９６年１２月、現場カーブを半径６００メートルから急な３０４メートルに付け替え、ダイヤ改正で快速電車も１日３４本から９４本に増発させ、脱線の危険性が高まっていた。

当時、井手氏は社長、南谷氏は副社長、垣内氏は経営企画部長として、現場の状況や、付け替え直前にＪＲ函館線の半径３００メートルのカーブで貨物列車の脱線事故が起きたことを認識し、危険性を予見できた。さらに、３人はそれぞれの社長在任中、鉄道本部長にＡＴＳ整備を指示すべき注意義務を怠ったとされる。

神戸第１検察審査会の起訴議決を受け、指定弁護士は３月２９日に選任されたばかりだったが、公訴時効（５年）が迫り、１か月足らずでの起訴となった。

指定弁護士は、地裁に公判前整理手続きの適用を要請した。手続きに入れば、争点が多岐にわたり、初公判は来年以降の可能性が高い。
（2010年4月24日01時41分 読売新聞）

Important excerpts:

…JR West, in view of increasing capacity and revenue, reduced the accident curve from R=600 to R=304 in 1996, increased Rapid Service trains from 34 to 94 trains per day, thereby increasing the possibility of derailment.

…The three accused, at that point of time, were in the position of chairman, vice-chairman and COO, given the situation at the site, plus an accident which involved a JR Freight train in Hakodate at a R=300 curve, they were aware of the danger (posed by the R=304 curve). Yet, they did not inform/order the railway department chief to install ATS at the site.

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- R stands for radius, a curve’s maximum degree of turn. A curve comprises of a gradual turn, the radii turn (where the value is taken), and then a gradual turn back to a straight line.

JR West, in the publics’ eye, did not have any image change over this 5 years despite campaigns to win the commuter’s heart over again. Numerous reports of preventable incidents, staff reforms and recently the EB (Emergency Brake) switch function disabled on some trains caused concerns in Japan again, about the practices and culture that JR West harbors.

Trapped outside the shutters and the train left… Due to some oversleeping staff?

JR Kobe Station. December 2005 Japan Tour. (Admin)

Article from Yomiuri News.

当直の駅員寝坊、始発に８人乗れず…ＪＲ関西線

大阪市東住吉区のＪＲ関西線東部市場前駅で１８日、午前５時前になっても駅出入り口のシャッターが開かず、同４時５９分発の王寺発難波行きの始発電車に客８人が乗れなかった。

シャッターは同５時過ぎに開き、客は約１５分後の後続電車に乗ったという。

ＪＲ西日本によると、同駅に当直勤務していた４８歳と２１歳の男性駅員２人が寝坊したため。当直駅員は同４時２５分に起床し、４５分までにシャッターを開けることになっていた。同駅を管理する天王寺駅からの起床確認の電話も約２５分遅れたため、２人は同５８分に目を覚ましたという。

（2010年1月18日12時34分 読売新聞）

8 passengers missed the first train at 459 am from Ōji to Namba due to a closed shutter at Tōbushijōmae station, JR Kansai Line.

The shutter opened after 5 am and the passengers took the next train which came 15 minutes later.

JR West says that two staff aged 48 and 21 who stay-over at the station overslept. The staff are supposed to wake up at 425 am and open the shutters at 445 am. The station’s managing department at Tennōji station made the confirmation wake-up call 25 minutes late, and the staff woke up at 458 am.

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Hilarious right? This is not the first time some staff overslept and caused passengers to miss the first train. The previous one that I could recall and made to the news was last year involving a JR Tokai staff. But JR West is a notorious company for ill staff treatment so expect this two oversleeping staff and the wake-up call fellow to be assigned to reform lessons… Zzz.

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The time when I met sleep-over staff (who is not oversleeping) at a station in Japan is at Engaru, where I snapped a picture of the Kiha 40 featured in this post. The express train (Express Okhotsk 9, midnight service run now withdrawn) from Sapporo reaches the station slightly before 4 am and the station staff (at least two of them) in thick pajamas and company coat comes out to check tickets and check the train (standing on the platform and do safety recognition) upon turn-around. They went back to sleep after the train left, but have to wake up again after 530 am for the first train out of the station. Although the station is rural and not of big importance, the staff hold pride in their job and wake up before dawn to serve passengers and ensure safety in sub-zero temperatures.