Japanese Technical
Standards
Naoto YANASE
UIC, Senior Advisor High Speed
JR Group Paris Office, Deputy Director
Paris, France
Shinkansen operation: JR companies
• JR companies are private companies and successors of Japanese National
Railways
• Passenger companies are also infrastructure owners.
• All companies are independently administered.
Hokkaido Railway Company)
6 passenger railway companies
+ East Japan Railway Company
1 freight railway company Central Japan Railway Company
+
West Japan Railway Company
Other companies
Shikoku Railway Company
Network length Kyushu Railway Company
Shinkansen (1435mm) Japan Freight Railway Company
12%
Mini-Shinkansen
(Conventional)
Conventional (1435mm)
(1067mm) 1%
86%
Railway Technical Research Institute
Total 12,483 miles (19,973km) JR Information System
Japan Telecom (now, Soft Bank Telecom)
Definition of Shinkansen
• “a main line on which a train is able to run at over 200km/h* along
almost all the route” (Nationwide Shinkansen Railway Development
Act) *200km/h: 125mph
• Mini-shinkansen routes with converted conventional lines are legally
conventional lines.
Shinkansen Mini-Shinkansen
(Photo: running on Shinkansen track)
Shinkansen : High speed rail in Japan
Conventional
3/17 line: Other than Shinkansen, including Mini-Shinkansen
Technical standards for Japanese Railways
Railway Operations Law Mandatory
Laws
Ordinance of the
Ministry for Technical Technical Standards
Standards for Railway
Guidelines
Interpretation Criteria by the Government
These rules are applied both for Suggestion
Shinkansen and conventional lines.
Railway companies have to set their own criteria,
“Implementation Standards”, based on the above.
Technical Standards for Japanese Railways
Before revision After revision
Mandatory
REVISED
Laws in March, 2002 Laws
Technical Standards
Technical Standards
Guidelines
Suggestion as the reference to create operator’s
implementation standards
Laws and Ordinances covered Laws and Ordinances covered
many rules in detail. only principles of the rules.
Specification standards Performance standards
Technical Standards for Japanese Railways
Before Now Mandatory
revision Laws Laws
Technical Standards
Technical Standards
Guidelines
Rules of Conventional Railways Structure 217 Suggestion
Rules of Shinkansen Railways Structure 80
Rules of Conventional Railways Operation 248
Ordinance of the Ministry for Technical
Rules of Shinkansen Railways Operation 98
Standards for Railway
Rules of Special Railways Structure 169 120
Total No. of articles 812 Total No. of articles 120
Example of the Revision
(In the case of “radius of curve”)
Before the Revision
Rules of Shinkansen Railways Structure (Ordinance of the
Ministry ）
Article 9. The minimum radius of curve of the main track shall be
2500 meters. In prohibitive cases from the standpoint of topography,
it could be 400 meters, taking train speed into consideration.
Example of the Revision
(In the case of “radius of curve”)
After the Revision
Ordinance of the Ministry for Technical Standard for Railway
Article 14. Radius of curvature shall be set in order not to impair safe car
operations, taking the performance capability of negotiating a curve, the
operation speed, and other relevant factors into consideration.
Interpretation Criteria
Concerning Article 14. Radius of curve of the Shinkansen main track shall
be 400 meters or more.
Interpretation Criteria is only the guideline - You do not need
to follow these criteria if you can prove that operations
are safe.
Structure of technical standards between the
government and railway companies
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Ordinance of the Ministry
for Technical Standards for Railway
Railway companies
Reference
Interpretation Criteria Implementation
(No legal force) Standard
Notification
(Internal) Design
standard etc.
Why did the Government revise the system?
Unchangeable principle : Safety as the top priority
Based on this principle, the autonomy of railway companies should
be respected.
The former laws and ordinances described the details.
→ It was impossible for railway companies to change their rules
by introducing new technologies.
→ The system of standards had been a barrier to improving
safety & service quality (that is, customer satisfaction).
As a result, railway companies
- can adapt more easily to the progress of technologies.
- Must instead take responsibility for the results.
Change Rules for Implementation Standards
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Ordinance of the Ministry
for Technical Standards for Railway
Railway companies
Reference
Interpretation Criteria Implementation
(No legal force) Standard
Notification
Actually they are nearly the same at the first stage
Railway companies can change the Implementation Standards,
even if the change will not meet the Interpretation Criteria,
ONLY WHEN they can show the Ministry that the safety level will not decrease.
Structure of Ordinance
Ordinance of the Ministry for Technical Standards for Railway
Chapter 1 General Rule
Chapter 2 Staff
Chapter 3 Guide Way
Chapter 4 Station and Halt
Chapter 5 Intersection with Road Structure &
maintenance
Chapter 6 Electric Line Facilities of
facilities & rolling stock
Chapter 7 Operation Safety Facilities
Chapter 8 Rolling Stock
Chapter 9 Maintenance of Facilities and Rolling Stock
Chapter 10 Train Operation
Particular rules for Shinkansen in Ordinance
Mandatory
Laws
Ordinance of the Ministry for
Technical Standards for Railway Technical Standards
Guidelines
There is no big difference between Shinkansen
and Conventional lines EXCEPT
Suggestion
Article 25. Shinkansen guide way shall be equipped with the devices to abate extreme
noises generated from the high-speed operation, depending upon the situation or
condition along the right of way.
Article 31. 2. Adequate devices shall be installed for Shinkansen to prevent persons
from entering guide ways, except those areas such as bridges, tunnels and other hard
to trespass structures.
Article 39. Shinkansen railway shall not intersect with roads at grade.
Article 71. Rolling stock to be used by Shinkansen shall abate extreme noise generated
from high-speed operations. However, rolling stock used for accident recovery, testing of
facilities, and inspection or maintenance is exempt from this standard.
Structure of technical standards in railway
companies
Railway companies
Implementation Standard
(Internal) Design standard etc.
•Example in rolling stock
Ordinance
Rolling stock must not exceed the loading gauge. B
(government)
Imprementation Rolling stock must not exceed the loading gauge at B(conditions), Beven
standard with maximum load,B.
(Railway co.)
Internal standard B. Maximum load for Shinkansen must be assumed with 200% of
(Railway co.) passengers at seat capacity, 60kg per person, B Shinkansen loading gauge on
a straight track
• JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards)
Some internal standards require the conformity of JIS
Certification of conformity to the
national technical standard
•National government issues the certification of technical
conformity.
•National government can certify “Certified railway company”.
Certified railway company
•It is delegated authority from the government by the
deregulation.
•It makes it possible to certify the conformity to the standard
by qualified people inside the railway company.
•Some important parts remain to be certified by the
government (braking system etc.)
15/19 High speed and law, Cases in Japan / 24 June 2010
Remarks
•The Japanese government and operators have modified the standard
system so that laws / ordinances would not disturb each railway
company’s efforts to enhance the safety and the service quality,
respecting companies’ autonomy.
•Based on the Technical Standards and Guidelines, railway
companies shall set their own Implementation Standards.
•Railway companies have obtained much more freedom and
responsibility to set high levels of safety and quality of service. This
situation will support and motivate them to survive the competition
with other transportation modes.
Thank you very much
for your attention
