Japan Press Weekly

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2013 September 11 - 17 TOP3 [POLITICS]

Accident-prone JR Hokkaido puts profits before safety

Following continuous outbreaks of fire in its limited express trains, Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) has decided to reduce from November the number of operations of their trains and their maximum speed by 10-20 km/h. In the background of the repeated serious accidents lies the company’s negligence in safety matters.

On May 27, 2011, a limited express train went off the track and caught fire inside a tunnel on the Sekisho Line. Since then, JR Hokkaido has witnessed a number of troubles and accidents, including six outbreaks of fire or smoke on operating trains this year.

“The cause of these accidents goes back to the division and privatization of the government-owned national railway network,” said Takeda Izumi, associate professor of Hokkaido University of Education.

In 1987, the Japanese National Railways (JNR) was divided into six private companies. Takeda pointed out, “First of all, it would be difficult to run a private railway company only in Hokkaido, which has a vast extent of land with a low population density.”

Operating in the nation’s northernmost prefecture that has a long and severely cold winter, railway systems in Hokkaido are damaged more easily than those operating in other parts of Japan. JR Hokkaido, however, has failed to implement the necessary investments for upgrading railroad tracks and other equipment. Electrification of diesel trains has also been delayed.

Speeding up of train operations to compete with airlines is also raised as the cause of the repeated accidents.

Furthermore, the company’s cutback on hiring following the 1987 privatization prevented veteran workers from passing their skills on to their younger colleagues.

In JR Hokkaido, the number of employees in their 40s is substantially lower than other age groups. As of April 1 this year, the number of workers in this age group is 600, while 2,600 workers are 50 years old and older, 1,700 are in their 30s, and 2,000 are in their 20s.

The total number of JR Hokkaido workers has been halved from 14,000 in 1987 to 7,100 in 2013. Meanwhile, operations of limited express trains have been doubled during the same period of time.

With the division and privatization of the JNR, “Its ‘safety comes first’ principle disappeared,” said a former railway worker. Takeda also stresses the responsibility of the national government because it has promoted the privatization of the national railway network.

The associate professor said, “The government is eager to build highways, but leaves railway businesses to their operators. To use only a small amount of the budget available for highway construction for rail will greatly improve railway infrastructure.”