Building Railway Transportation That Customers Can Use with Peace of Mind ~Progress Report on Measures Taken Following Transportation Troubles Early in the Year~
JR East announced the progress of six measures aimed at building safe and stable transportation, following recent transportation troubles on the Yamanote Line and others, and an escalator fire on the Keiyo Line. Efforts include reviewing operational flows, enhancing emergency response, upgrading inspections, and improving technical skills.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 02:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 17:32
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 8, 2026 at 19:49 (2h 17m after Collected)
We once again apologize for the great inconvenience, anxiety, and concern caused to our customers by the major transportation troubles that occurred due to power outages on the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines on January 16, the Joban Line on January 30, and the Utsunomiya Line from February 8-9, as well as an escalator fire at Hacchobori Station on the Keiyo Line on February 2.
While the direct causes of the series of transportation troubles differed, and countermeasures are being taken for each, we announced six initiatives on February 10 aimed at building safe and stable transportation for the future, based on the series of troubles. We would like to inform you of the current progress.
The JR East Group will continue to work as one group to build railway transportation that customers can use with peace of mind, positioning "safety" as its top management priority and pursuing "ultimate safety."
1. Measures Taken Following Transportation Troubles
2. Progress of the Six Initiatives for Building Future Safe and Stable Transportation
(1) Review of Operational Flows (Work Procedures) related to Safe and Stable Transportation
・Verification and strengthening of the checking system for important points where handling errors directly lead to long-term service suspensions.
We are verifying the checking system for important points, assuming troubles that lead to long-term service suspensions (such as overhead wire disconnection, train breakdowns, etc.). Based on the verification, we are sequentially reviewing handling procedures.
[Specific Examples]
・Since February 2026, we have been continuously verifying and improving efforts to ensure that the number of personnel and methods for checking acquired inspection data are implemented according to rules and that effectiveness is secured, for operations utilizing systems for maintaining and managing electrical equipment (overhead wire equipment monitoring, signal bond monitoring).
・As vehicle-related rules previously mixed "matters stipulated as regulations" and "matters stipulated as inspection standards," we fundamentally revised the rules in April 2026, structuring them into "Maintenance Regulations" and "Guidelines." The "Guidelines" will continue to be polished by organizing appropriate maintenance methods and their technical basis, and sequentially reflecting their contents.
・The manual for recovery systems during maintenance vehicle failures did not explicitly state specific judgment criteria and methods for rescue operations within the recovery flow. Therefore, we revised it in April 2026.
(2) Improvement of Emergency Response Capabilities
1. Placement of a manager responsible for customer rescue at the emergency response headquarters.
When a long stop between stations is anticipated, a manager exclusively responsible for "customer rescue" will be assigned separately from the manager responsible for "transportation restoration." The "customer rescue manager" will consider all means, including rescue methods other than guided evacuation, and will direct the prompt rescue of customers on trains stopped between stations, ensuring a system dedicated to customer rescue operations.
2. Thorough instruction for preparation for guided evacuation within 30 minutes of incident occurrence.
In addition to determining customer rescue methods, including the necessity of guided evacuation, within 30 minutes of incident occurrence, we have revised this to include instructing relevant departments to prepare for guided evacuation within 30 minutes.
[Specific Response Example]
・In the level crossing accident that occurred at Uchihara Station on the Joban Line on March 13, instructions were given to relevant departments to prepare for guided evacuation within 30 minutes of the occurrence, and personnel were promptly dispatched to the site, followed by guided evacuation.
3. Regular implementation of practical training.
We will upgrade large-scale transportation disruption training and guided evacuation training to more practical content. Specifically, we will conduct training assuming multiple conditions such as terrain near the stopped train, time of day, and number of passengers, by combining training using actual trains and tabletop exercises. We also conduct joint training with police and fire department officials, and training where physically challenged individuals actually experience guided evacuation.
Training for operating emergency response headquarters assuming large-scale transportation disruptions, nighttime guided evacuation training, and training to quickly visualize incident status.
4. Increased spare parts for improving emergency response capabilities.
We will sequentially increase spare parts, focusing on vehicle equipment directly related to safe and stable transportation.
(3) Upgrading Inspection and Maintenance
1. Efforts to grasp pre-symptoms.
By introducing monitoring technology and accelerating DX, we will grasp deterioration status before equipment troubles occur, identify pre-symptoms of failures, and implement repairs at the appropriate timing.
2. Implementation of remote inspection by drones during abnormalities.
During disasters or abnormalities, employees currently confirm damage by foot, but by implementing remote inspection by drones, we will quickly ascertain the local situation and lead to earlier resumption of services.
(4) Improvement and strengthening of technical skills of frontline employees in equipment maintenance and accident recovery.
In FY2027, the number of technical hires is planned to increase from the conventional plan.
While the direct causes of the series of transportation troubles differed, and countermeasures are being taken for each, we announced six initiatives on February 10 aimed at building safe and stable transportation for the future, based on the series of troubles. We would like to inform you of the current progress.
The JR East Group will continue to work as one group to build railway transportation that customers can use with peace of mind, positioning "safety" as its top management priority and pursuing "ultimate safety."
1. Measures Taken Following Transportation Troubles
2. Progress of the Six Initiatives for Building Future Safe and Stable Transportation
(1) Review of Operational Flows (Work Procedures) related to Safe and Stable Transportation
・Verification and strengthening of the checking system for important points where handling errors directly lead to long-term service suspensions.
We are verifying the checking system for important points, assuming troubles that lead to long-term service suspensions (such as overhead wire disconnection, train breakdowns, etc.). Based on the verification, we are sequentially reviewing handling procedures.
[Specific Examples]
・Since February 2026, we have been continuously verifying and improving efforts to ensure that the number of personnel and methods for checking acquired inspection data are implemented according to rules and that effectiveness is secured, for operations utilizing systems for maintaining and managing electrical equipment (overhead wire equipment monitoring, signal bond monitoring).
・As vehicle-related rules previously mixed "matters stipulated as regulations" and "matters stipulated as inspection standards," we fundamentally revised the rules in April 2026, structuring them into "Maintenance Regulations" and "Guidelines." The "Guidelines" will continue to be polished by organizing appropriate maintenance methods and their technical basis, and sequentially reflecting their contents.
・The manual for recovery systems during maintenance vehicle failures did not explicitly state specific judgment criteria and methods for rescue operations within the recovery flow. Therefore, we revised it in April 2026.
(2) Improvement of Emergency Response Capabilities
1. Placement of a manager responsible for customer rescue at the emergency response headquarters.
When a long stop between stations is anticipated, a manager exclusively responsible for "customer rescue" will be assigned separately from the manager responsible for "transportation restoration." The "customer rescue manager" will consider all means, including rescue methods other than guided evacuation, and will direct the prompt rescue of customers on trains stopped between stations, ensuring a system dedicated to customer rescue operations.
2. Thorough instruction for preparation for guided evacuation within 30 minutes of incident occurrence.
In addition to determining customer rescue methods, including the necessity of guided evacuation, within 30 minutes of incident occurrence, we have revised this to include instructing relevant departments to prepare for guided evacuation within 30 minutes.
[Specific Response Example]
・In the level crossing accident that occurred at Uchihara Station on the Joban Line on March 13, instructions were given to relevant departments to prepare for guided evacuation within 30 minutes of the occurrence, and personnel were promptly dispatched to the site, followed by guided evacuation.
3. Regular implementation of practical training.
We will upgrade large-scale transportation disruption training and guided evacuation training to more practical content. Specifically, we will conduct training assuming multiple conditions such as terrain near the stopped train, time of day, and number of passengers, by combining training using actual trains and tabletop exercises. We also conduct joint training with police and fire department officials, and training where physically challenged individuals actually experience guided evacuation.
Training for operating emergency response headquarters assuming large-scale transportation disruptions, nighttime guided evacuation training, and training to quickly visualize incident status.
4. Increased spare parts for improving emergency response capabilities.
We will sequentially increase spare parts, focusing on vehicle equipment directly related to safe and stable transportation.
(3) Upgrading Inspection and Maintenance
1. Efforts to grasp pre-symptoms.
By introducing monitoring technology and accelerating DX, we will grasp deterioration status before equipment troubles occur, identify pre-symptoms of failures, and implement repairs at the appropriate timing.
2. Implementation of remote inspection by drones during abnormalities.
During disasters or abnormalities, employees currently confirm damage by foot, but by implementing remote inspection by drones, we will quickly ascertain the local situation and lead to earlier resumption of services.
(4) Improvement and strengthening of technical skills of frontline employees in equipment maintenance and accident recovery.
In FY2027, the number of technical hires is planned to increase from the conventional plan.