It’s no secret that Japan has a lot of earthquakes. The country records more seismic activity than anywhere else in the world.
But despite the near-constant threat of massive tremors and tsunamis, its massive transit system somehow remains remarkably safe.
Perhaps the greatest example of the resiliency of Japanese trains came 14 years ago, on March 11, 2011, when the worst earthquake and ensuing tsunami in recorded Japanese history struck the eastern part of the country. The damage was devastating, and an estimated 18,000 people died as a result.
But none of those deaths — not even an injury — were reported on the bullet train (known in Japan as the Shinkansen), a fact that train safety experts agree is astonishing and may offer lessons for other countries.
“If you have a high-speed train traveling at 159 miles an hour encounter a 6.0 earthquake, traveling at that speed and derailing, could cause enormous damage,” said Dr. Frannie Edwards, deputy director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute.
Edwards lived in Japan for more than two years, studying Japanese rail safety. She said that she believes the 2011 earthquake confirmed that the country’s seismic safety program is among the best in the world.
“The Japan rail system has taken very significant steps to become as prepared as possible, especially with their high-speed rail network,” she said.
Yuichiro Tanaka, deputy director of the International Department of the Central Japan Railway Company, which runs the country’s most-popular bullet train between Tokyo and Osaka, explained how the railway’s complex disaster-prevention system works.
It has a series of seismometers installed along the coast and near the tracks, which are intended to sense the early wave of an earthquake, he said.
The devices instantly communicate with the rail system before a major rumble hits the train.
“When an earthquake occurs, the earthquake-disaster-prevention system automatically analyzes the seismic motion, assesses the impact on the Shinkansen and issues a warning to the necessary areas,” he said. “Upon receiving this warning, the power supply to the Shinkansen is automatically stopped at the substations, and all trains within the affected area are halted.”
When the train stops, passengers are notified of the situation, and they’re provided with water and portable toilets in case they’re stuck for an extended period of time.
It’s a gold standard that JR Central is helping other countries implement — including earthquake- and tsunami-prone Taiwan. Experts say there are lessons for California, too, which is hoping to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco with high-speed rail.
But Edwards cautioned that merely replicating Japan’s technology might not be enough. The country experiences an average of two or three earthquakes a day and, as a result, has developed a culture of disaster safety, holding a National Disaster Preparedness Day every September.
“On that day, all the rail lines participate in exercises during which time the trains come to a complete halt and the passengers participate in an evacuation exercise.”
According to Edwards, similar drills could be essential in other parts of the world as natural disasters, including hurricanes, floods and fires, become more frequent.
But imagining a train full of Americans getting up out of their seats for that, she said, is pure fantasy.