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19 injured after trains collide in Kawasaki

8 Comments

The first two cars of a train derailed after colliding into the rear of another stopped train at Motosumiyoshi Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Saturday morning, injuring at least 19 people.

According to police, the accident occurred at 12:30 a.m. on the Tokyu Tokoyo line. TBS quoted police as saying that the driver of the train failed to apply the brake in time and rear-ended the train that was at the platform. All the injured passengers were in the two cars that derailed.

Tokyu Rail Co officials said that unexpectedly large amounts of snow had disrupted the train schedule, causing a shorter interval between trains. Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the collision to see why the automatic train control (ATC) system did not work.

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8 Comments
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Wow that's very unfortunate, especially when it was probably the last trains scheduled to run at that time.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is a serious stuff-up. The second train should not have entered the station while the first was still there. Miscommunication or driver error?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Stuff like this doesn't happen, regardless of weather conditions. Somebody's head is going on the chopping block for this one for sure! The TAC system should have prevented this from happening. It was either faulty or the driver overrode the system. There are too many safeguards in trains for this to happen 'by accident'.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

There is a possibility that the snow accumulation may have affected the ATC sensors on the tracks and that's why the train did not stop in time at Motosumiyoshi Station.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

The usual soulless, insincere bows and apologies on the news. On NHK news 7 this evening, the president of Tokyu corporation said that, "The ATC safety system was found to be working perfectly, so we are unsure of the exact reasons of the crash". By what stretch of the imagination does he mean, "was found to be working perfectly"? It DID NOT WORK.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Sorry, there is NOT a possibility the snow affected the ATC because it is designed not to be effected by rain or snow. This could only have come about through human error or it may have been a deliberate collision. It would not be the first time it's happened in Japan. Remember what happened in Osaka a few years ago?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

hope for the best

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sorry, there is NOT a possibility the snow affected the ATC because it is designed not to be effected by rain or snow.

Sorry but there IS a possibility this is the case. Any system can fail.

Wait for the facts before making judgments.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

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