2023-09-23 13:47:00
A derailed train en route to JR Okayama Station = 4:37 p.m. on the 23rd, Kokutai-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama City
The train that appears to have derailed = near Okayama Station
JR officials inspecting the train
At around 3:40 p.m. on the 23rd, a two-car train headed for Okayama Station derailed at the Okayama Diesel Railway Station (car depot) in Kokutai-cho, Kita-ku, Okayama City, near JR Okayama Station. There were no passengers on board, and the male driver was not injured.
According to JR West China Headquarters, the cause appears to be that the train did not stop temporarily in front of the point where the train changes course (a turnout) and tried to pass through it before it changed direction. The train entered the temporary safety siding, and its front wheels ran onto the gravel of the car stop. The driver reportedly missed the stop signal and did not activate the automatic train stopping system (ATS), saying he was “preoccupied with other things.”
Due to the risk of a derailed vehicle colliding with a train on the Tsuyama Line, operation was temporarily suspended on the entire line between Okayama and Tsuyama, and substitute transportation was provided by bus throughout the day between Okayama and Hokaiin. Emergency stop signals were sent to nearby trains, leading to a series of suspensions and delays on other conventional lines, including Sanyo and Seto Ohashi.
There are no plans to remove the derailed vehicle, and the derailed vehicle will be transported between Okayama and Hokaiin on the 24th. Other routes are expected to operate normally from the start.
At a press conference on the night of the 23rd, Hidemasa Ito, head of the public relations department at the headquarters, apologized, saying, “We apologize for the inconvenience.We will thoroughly investigate the cause and work to prevent it from happening once more.”
Due to the derailment, the area around the ticket gates at JR Okayama Station was crowded with passengers, and station staff were busy providing guidance and explanations. A 17-year-old high school senior who was returning to his home in Katsuo Town, Okayama Prefecture, said with relief, “I was surprised to hear that the train was derailed, but I think I’ll be able to get home with alternate transportation.”
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