Illustration from JR East.

Safety gates to be installed at Yamanote Line stations in Tokyo

Wednesday 04th June, 03:02 PM JST

TOKYO —

JR East on Wednesday said it will install automatic safety gates on platforms at all the Yamanote Line stations over the next 10 years. The total cost is expected to be 55 billion yen, JR said.

According to JR East, the safety gates will be installed initially at Ebisu and Meguro stations by 2010. After the experimental installation, the company will consider technical improvements and proceed with the rest of the stations.

JR East has been discussing the installation of safety gates since a Korean student and a Japanese passenger were run over by a train at Shin-Okubo station in 2001, as they were tying to rescue a drunken Japanese man who fell off the platform onto the tracks.

8 Comments

Sarge at 03:03 PM JST - 4th June

Bout time!
northlondon at 03:06 PM JST - 4th June

Lightning !

Korean hero student and Japanese passenger killed in 2001.

Safety gates installed in that station (Shin-Okubo) by 2018.

Let's see now, that's a 17 year turnaround...
smithinjapan at 03:18 PM JST - 4th June

It'll definitely help prevent people who would fall from a gate-less platform, but it won't help with suicides, since they're only likely to be waist high. Anyway, a step up.
roughneck at 03:30 PM JST - 4th June

The total cost is expected to be 55 billion yen.

Wondering if it is worth of saving drunken and suicidal people with that cost.
whatanidiot at 03:41 PM JST - 4th June

it could also save from crazy guys who just feel like pushing someone on the track as it has been the case few weeks ago !!
capone at 05:17 PM JST - 4th June

thats what it'll cost today, if it's the true figure...by the time it's finished it'll be double
eleewhm at 07:20 PM JST - 4th June

time for ticket increase
westurn at 11:25 PM JST - 4th June

Ummm, isn't it the screamin orange Chuo line that has all the suicides ?