Japan Govt to Help Boost Safety of Dangerous Railway Crossings

   Tokyo, Oct. 5 (Jiji Press)--Japan's transport ministry plans to support the installation of manually operated gates as well as fences at Class 4 railway crossings, which do not have alarms or barriers, from fiscal 2025 in order to boost the safety of such dangerous crossings.
   The measures are designed to reduce accidents by urging pedestrians to temporarily stop when crossing railroad crossings. The ministry sought necessary funding under the government's budget for the fiscal year that starts next April.
   In April this year, a girl in the fourth grade at an elementary school died after being hit by a train of Joshin Electric Railway at a Class 4 railroad crossing in the city of Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture, eastern Japan.
   As of the end of March 2023, there were about 2,400 Class 4 crossings around Japan, mainly at regional railways.
   Following the accident, the ministry will expand, from fiscal 2025, its subsidy program for railway operators for the introduction of alarms, barriers and emergency buttons at crossings. The expanded program will also cover the installation at Class 4 crossings of equipment such as gates that are manually pushed or lifted.

(2024/10/05-14:26)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.