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