TOKYO, March 11 — East Japan Railway Co. has developed shock absorbers to lower the risk of derailment for bullet trains in the event of an earthquake, the first such device developed domestically, Kyodo News reported.
The newly made so-called dampers, which are designed to reduce sideways tilts by trains, are expected to be introduced to Shinkansen cars from the fall of 2027 through fiscal 2032, ending in March 2033, according to the railway operator.
JR East has been working for years to develop an anti-quake damper with the Railway Technical Research Institute, based on the lessons learned from a 2004 derailment accident following a magnitude 6.8 quake that jolted Niigata Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo.
No passengers or train crew were killed or injured in the accident on the Joetsu Shinkansen Line. But the incident marked the first-ever derailment of a shinkansen train during commercial operation.
JR East said the new device can reduce the derailment probability by up to about 50 per cent in the event of a similar level of temblor.
Dampers are placed between train car bodies and bogie trucks mainly for enhancing ride comfort by reducing vibrations. Conventional ones are not necessarily able to fully absorb strong swaying, potentially leading to derailment, according to the company.
The strength of the new damper has been reinforced by thickening its axis, it said.
