Kotoden (Takamatsu Kotohira Railroad) is a small private railway in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan. There are three lines: Kotohira line (the longest and busiest), Nagao line and Shido line. The network is precisely 60 km (37.3 miles) long with 53 stations in total. There are 80 train carriages for passenger use, all of which are second-hand trains of Keikyu, Keio or Nagoya City Subway. This company has been accused of poor maintenance of facilities especially level crossings.
According to the local media, Shikoku Transport Bureau, a part of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism ordered investigation on 30th June of a broken down level crossing on Nagao line. On 11th April at around 4 pm, the level crossing did not activate when a train entered it, which could have caused a serious accident. Kotoden later conceded that a deteriorated fuse prevented the level crossing from working. The fuse, which was supposed to be replaced with a new one every 10-15 years, had been in use for nearly 40 years. The company replaced 454 old fuses in accordance with the order.
On 13 July at 11:30 am, less than two weeks after the order was issued, a Kotohira line level crossing did not respond when a train was approaching. The train stopped just in front of the level crossing, but TBS reported that another train passed the crossing a few minutes earlier despite barriers and bells were not working. It meant that the driver failed to check if the track was securely cleared. The company later acknowledged that the level crossing controller was somehow shut down at that time.
Furthermore, a similar incident took place at another Kotohira line level crossing on 19 August. In this case, two trains passed the crossing at a speed of 50-60 km/h and drivers failed to respond a signal warning them of abnormality. In spite of instructions by managers, the drivers did not take them seriously.
It was the seventeenth critical incident since 2015, and resulted in resignation of the president. Even after that, multiple videos of level crossings with bells and barriers not working in spite of an approaching train have been viral, indicating that the company has failed to deal with repeated troubles.
Why have there been so many serious incidents? In the August case, the barrier was 20 years old despite its manufacturer recommended replacing it in 10 years, though the president insisted in a press conference that it must not have been an issue. His statement clearly shows the lack of will to observe safety rules, and it is also evident that train crews and maintenance workers do not recognise how serious the cases are.
Some people argue that Kotoden's financial difficulties have led to those troubles. It is true that Kotoden once went bankrupt in 2001 after unsuccessful investment in a redevelopment project with a department store. However, Kotoden has been doing quite well in recent years (with significant amount of subsidies), as its railway sector recorded a profit of 13 million yen even with the aftermath of COVID. The company estimated in June that there would be much more profit in the next term. These facts show that Kotoden is not a company on the verge of bankruptcy, and it could have been able to do far better than what we see today.
It would take weeks or months for the things to be fixed even if Kotoden decides to deal with the poorly maintained facilities. In the meantime, it is essential for everyone in the area, both car drivers and pedestrians, to exercise increased caution. It is reminded that Article 33 paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act provides as follows:
"Before going over a railroad crossing, the driver of a vehicle or streetcar must stop immediately in front of the railroad crossing (or immediately in front of any stop line established by road signs or markings; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) and must not proceed until after checking that it is safe to do so..."
There is a good reason why driving schools in Japan instruct that the driver should open a window to hear if a train is approaching in addition to look both sides of the track. Not everyone observe them in these days, but it is important to exercise them especially when level crossings are not reliable.
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