On the 10th, a man in his 80s riding an electric wheelchair with a handle was hit by a train at a railroad crossing of the Kyoto Tango Railway in Maizuru City, Kyoto Prefecture, and the National Transport Safety Board of Japan dispatched an investigator to the site on the 11th and began investigating the cause of the accident.

Just before 10 a.m. on the 9th, Masao Hayashi (86), who lives nearby in an electric wheelchair with a handle, was hit by a train and died at a railway crossing of the Kyoto Tango Railway in Yuri, Maizuru City.

The scene is a level crossing called "Class 4 level crossing" with no barriers or alarms, and police are investigating the possibility that Mr. Hayashi may have been hit by a train when he tried to cross the crossing.

In response to the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board dispatched two railway accident investigators to the site on the 11th and began a detailed investigation into the cause.

Investigators checked the location of the site to measure distances, checked the appearance of trains as they crossed the level crossing, and also interviewed operators and others.

Masakazu Adachi, Chief Railway Accident Investigator of the Japan Transport Safety Board, said, "We would like to analyze how the fact that electric wheelchairs have a lower line of sight than pedestrians.

Neighbors at the railroad crossing ask for alarms to be installed.

Signs are attached to the railway crossing at the site asking passers-by to check left and right and stop, but neighbors asked for alarms to be installed.

An 81-year-old man who lives near the site said, "In the past, the local community asked me to turn on barriers and alarms. There are some blind spots, so I would like you to turn on the alarm alone."

In addition, a woman who crosses a railroad crossing when taking a walk in the morning said, "Sometimes you can't hear the sound of a train approaching, and before you know it, you can feel scared because you are so close."

Another man said, "Everyone in the community is aware that it is dangerous, and there have been times when the train stopped when they noticed that people were crossing. I would like you to install an alarm alone, if not a circuit breaker, so that you can spend your time with peace of mind."

Expert: "We need to prioritize and take measures"

Regarding the accident at a "Class 4 level crossing" that has neither an alarm nor a circuit breaker, Professor Ryo Takagi of Kogakuin University, who is an expert in railway safety measures, said, "Since the period of high economic growth, railway operators have also made efforts to eliminate dangerous level crossings, but priority is given to urban areas, and many Class 4 level crossings remain in areas with few users. It is not easy because there are cases where the understanding of local residents cannot be obtained."

"There is a way to cover the cost of installing alarms and circuit breakers with public subsidies, but it is not easy when local governments are financially tight. I'm talking.

What is the actual situation and response of "Class 4 level crossings"

According to a survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, there are people who die every year over "Class 4 railroad crossings".

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has recommended to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to encourage railway operators and governments to discuss and build consensus in the region to resolve the issue.

According to a summary by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Class 4 level crossings were installed nationwide as of the end of FY Reiwa 3, and 2455 of the 106 level crossings on the Kyoto Tango Railway fall under this category.

According to the third sector "Kita-Tango Railway", which manages the railway facilities of the Kyoto Tango Railway, at the level crossing where the accident occurred this time, an accident occurred in Heisei 18 when a train collided with a light vehicle that was crossing and one person died.

According to the Transport Bureau, Class 16 railroad crossings are being abolished and replaced with Class 1 railroad crossings equipped with barriers, etc., but it is difficult to obtain the consent of the residents who use them to abolish them, it is expensive to switch, and it takes time to coordinate between road managers and local governments. The current situation is that it is not progressing very well.

The Transport Bureau commented, "We will take appropriate measures to prevent recurrence based on the results of the investigation into the cause of the accident."