Last week, an elementary school student was struck and killed by a train at a railroad crossing in Gunma Prefecture that did not have a barrier or warning device, and an elderly person died in January at the same type of railroad crossing in Ibaraki Prefecture. It has been learned that the railway company that manages the site has decided to install gates and other equipment at the railroad crossing within this fiscal year.
In January this year, an 84-year-old woman who was riding her bicycle at a railroad crossing in Joso City on the Kanto Railway, which runs through Ibaraki Prefecture, was hit and killed by a train.
The site is a Type 4 level crossing without barriers or alarms, and an accident that killed an elderly person occurred 13 years ago, and according to Kanto Railway, barriers and alarms will be installed at this level crossing by the end of this fiscal year. This means that they have decided on a policy to do so.
There are 36 other Type 4 level crossings on the two lines of the Kanto Railway, and in response to the request from the national government to abolish them, Kanto Railway has decided to do so while gaining the understanding of local users and local governments. Although we are taking measures, it will take time to take measures due to consensus building and cost burden.
Kanto Railway is promoting safety measures such as installing simple gates at other Type 4 level crossings, and is urging users to be careful.