On June 7, JR Tokai conducted a comprehensive accident response drill at its Torikai rail yard in Osaka. This large-scale drill, which is held once a year, is attended by 1,000 employees from various systems related to the Tokaido Shinkansen Line.
Train overhead line restoration drills to minimize train “entrapment
The overhead wires that send electricity to the Shinkansen are the wires that suspend the trolley wires that come in contact with the pantographs. On December 18, 2022, the Tokaido Shinkansen experienced a problem when the overhead wires between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo were cut, disabling train operation for four hours. Learning from this, various measures have been taken.
This year’s training was designed to restore the overhead wires as quickly and accurately as possible. The overhead wire restoration training itself has been conducted every year, but two new measures were added for the 2023 training.
The first is to have workers wear wear wearable cameras and watch the images in real time at a command center in Tokyo to give precise instructions. The command center has command staff with specialized knowledge, making speedier restoration possible.
And the second is training from the perspective of how to move trains near the accident site as quickly as possible.
When the overhead wires are cut, the power naturally goes out, so not only can trains in the vicinity not move, but air conditioning is also cut. To minimize this time, the ground fault condition is quickly resolved by cutting the overhead wires that are grounded (current is flowing to the ground) short.
Then, after temporarily sending electricity to move the train to the nearest station or other location, the overhead wires are again put into a state of blackout to restore power. This method allows for a shorter confinement time in a train that has lost electricity.
The work itself consists of connecting two overhead wires that have been cut by a temporary line called an “attached line” so that trains can pass through the line for the time being. The overhead wires are then replaced in earnest late at night, after the trains have finished running.
© Source travel watch