East Japan Railway Company (JR East) has developed Japan’s first seismic lateral damper for Shinkansen trains. The system will be gradually introduced from autumn 2027 through fiscal year 2032.
This device suppresses the lateral sway of train cars during earthquakes. Development was completed with the cooperation of the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI), following verification tests on the ALFA-X test train and existing rolling stock. In seismic motion equivalent to the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake in Japan, during which a Shinkansen derailed, the new system can reduce the risk of derailment by up to about 50%. It will be installed on the E5, E6, and E8 series between fiscal year 2031, and on the E7 series through fiscal year 2032. The construction cost is 10 billion yen.
Conventional lateral dampers are devices intended mainly to improve ride comfort. The newly developed seismic lateral damper, however, further reduces vibration as seismic motion is transmitted to the car body and suppresses lateral sway of the cars, thereby lowering the risk of derailment or deviation from the tracks. It is also said to be effective in preventing derailment and deviation in seismic motion equivalent to the 2022 earthquake off Fukushima Prefecture in Japan.
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