Press Releases(Archive)
FY2012 - FY2003

Introduction of Automatic Platform Gates to the Yamanote Line
-Initial Introduction to Ebisu and Meguro Stations-

East Japan Railway Company

June 3, 2008

As accident prevention measures on its platforms, JR East is proceeding with improvements to its measures to date, including the emergency train stop alarm equipment and the fall detection mat. Additionally, in recent years, in response to the increasing expectations of its customers for increased safety on platforms, JR East has announced its intentions to initiate work on the introduction of automatic platform gates for the Yamanote Line in its "JR East 2020 Vision". It is expected that the introduction of automatic platform gates will help to prevent accidents and improve overall customer safety on platforms, while decreasing the occurrence of transport disorders.

  1. Introduction process

    The automatic platform gates will be initially introduced to Ebisu and Meguro stations in order to validate the full-scale introduction to all stations on the Yamanote Line. We chose these particular stations for the initial introduction due to their platform structures, which make early introduction of the automatic platform gates feasible.

    We plan to commence the use of the automatic platform gates at Ebisu and Meguro stations in our fiscal year 2010. At these stations, we plan to investigate both technical issues and effects on train operations. We will apply these results to the automatic platform gates in subsequent stations, and plan to complete the installation of the gates to all stations on the Yamanote Line within 10 years of their initial introduction.

    In addition, we plan to invest approximately 3 billion yen for ground work pertaining to the installation of the gates to the platforms and improvements to platform structures. An additional expenditure of approximately 2 billion yen for railcar improvement is also planned for the installation of the Train Automatic Stop Control system (TASC). (We are planning for a total improvement cost of approximately 55 billion yen for the installation of the gates in all stations on the Yamanote Line at this point, though this amount may change depending on future events.)

    Introduction process
  2. Characteristics of the automatic platform gates for the initial introduction to Ebisu and Meguro stations 〔Exhibit 1

    Automatic platform gates are an effective means in preventing customers from coming into contact with trains from the platforms and falling onto the tracks. The opening and closing of the platform doors are interlocked with the opening and closing of railcar doors. Described below are the characteristics of the automatic platform gates we plan to introduce to Ebisu and Meguro stations:

    • One section of the door guard is designed as an emergency escape hatch for emergency evacuation from railcars to platforms.

    • Reliability is enhanced with improvements to environment resistance and the dualization of systems.

    • The system is further enhanced through the remote monitoring of the automatic platform gates' operational status in order to better cope with the possibility of an occurrence of operational failure.

  3. Other improvement work accompanying the introduction 〔Exhibit 1 and 2

    With the introduction of automatic platform gates to the Yamanote Line, we will also proceed with our efforts on the additional improvements described below:

    (1)  Improvement work to platform structures

    Since many platforms on the Yamanote Line are old, large-scale structural improvement is necessary for the installation of the gates. For platforms comprised of dirt at the lower part of their paved surface, improvement work using steel is necessary to secure enough strength to fix the automatic platform gates to the platform surface.

    (2)  Train Automatic Stop Control system (TASC)

    Upon installation of the automatic platform gates, it will be necessary to have trains stop so that their railcar doors and the doors on the platform are in perfect alignment. This will require more stopping accuracy than ever before. For this reason, JR East will implement the Train Automatic Stop Control system (TASC) and install ground coils for the TASC on the tracks to support brake operation by train drivers.

    (3)  Replacement work of 6-door railcars to 4-door railcars on the Yamanote Line

    In the event of an occurrence in transport disorders on the Yamanote Line between Nishi-Nippori and Hamamatsu-cho stations via Tokyo Station, the Yamanote Line switches to the same track as the Keihin Tohoku Line. In this case, it is sometimes necessary for the 4-door railcars of the Keihin Tohoku Line to stop at locations where the 6-door railcars of the Yamanote Line stop. For this reason, we will replace all 6-door railcars of the Yamanote Line with 4-door railcars along with our full-scale introduction of the automatic platform gates.

    For Ebisu and Meguro stations, since the initial introduction is prior to the planned railcar replacement period, for 6-door sections (Cars No. 7 and 10) of the platforms, we will install the automatic platform gates after the replacement of the railcars.

Exhibit 1

Brief Overview of Automatic Platform Gates
Brief Overview of Automatic Platform Gates
Platform foundation work

Exhibit 2

The mechanism of the automatic platform gate control

Train Automatic Stop Control system (TASC)
Back