Excerpt from Yahoo! News:

"A probe into possible negligence by operator West Japan Railway Co. has focused on the actions of the 23-year-old driver, his lack of experience and suspicions that the train was speeding before it derailed.

Rescuers at the crash site in Amagasaki, about 250 miles west of Tokyo, found at least 17 bodies Wednesday. They also found a body seated at the front of the train that is believed to be driver Ryujiro Takami, but that had not been confirmed, the Kyodo news agency reported. "

I think a lot of people are very concerned about the lack of government regulation on trains since it was privatized last year. The new owners are trying to ear a profit by cutting costs. Unfortunately these people are probably the victims of corporate greed. Cheaper workers with less training...

I rode on that line before too. You never know.
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Doramafan113 wrote:

Cheaper workers with less training...

That's like our security screeners at airports... The federal government took over and things haven't improved very much...

Quote:

I rode on that line before too. You never know.

Scary. But again, you can't live in fear.

bmwracer wrote:

Excerpt from Yahoo! News: "A probe into possible negligence by operator West Japan Railway Co. has focused on the actions of the 23-year-old driver, his lack of experience and suspicions that the train was speeding before it derailed. Rescuers at the crash site in Amagasaki, about 250 miles west of Tokyo, found at least 17 bodies Wednesday. They also found a body seated at the front of the train that is believed to be driver Ryujiro Takami, but that had not been confirmed, the Kyodo news agency reported. "

Thanks for the update oniichan!

I'm supposed to go to Japan at the end of the next month and I've always felt at ease riding the trains before. Now, I might feel a little more jumpy while I'm on the train. So many unneccesary deaths!
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Rinrin wrote:

Now, I might feel a little more jumpy while I'm on the train. So many unneccesary deaths!

Actually transportation via train is quite safe in Japan. Occurances such as the recent accident don't really happen very often.

Rinrin wrote:

Thanks for the update oniichan!

Always there for ya, imoto-chan...

Quote:

I'm supposed to go to Japan at the end of the next month and I've always felt at ease riding the trains before. Now, I might feel a little more jumpy while I'm on the train. So many unneccesary deaths!

I wouldn't be worried too much... Particularly now, since the train operators and companies are gonna be under close scrutiny...

Yup, rail travel in Japan is very reliable, which ironically might have caused this accident. But overall I wouldn't be worried for exactly the reason BMW mentioned. The gov will keep an eye on them.

I wouldn't be that worried about it. If you want a really reliable train system, then Japan is your best bet. I enjoy observing how the subway works in Tokyo, it amazes me every time I see it and then I wonder... why doesn't it work like that in Vienna? What are we doing wrong?

I'm also looking forward to the Shinkansen this year.

Don't worry Rinrin. It's more likely that you get killed on your way to the airport in a traffic accident involving only cars (in Europe we had some 50,000 people getting killed in "normal" traffic accidents in 2004, and some 2,000,000 were injured). Train remains the safest form of transportation.

This was posted in a recent article found on Yahoo News. If true, I hope this will change some practices by the company.

Yahoo! News wrote:

... Errant drivers are often berated by their superiors, and fear might have prevented Takami from making a rational decision, railway union officials said. Takami had been subjected to such treatment for 13 days for a previous error. ...

Original article

dochira wrote:

This was posted in a recent article found on Yahoo News. If true, I hope this will change some practices by the company.

No surprise that this kinda stuff starts all the way at the top.

Now over 100 people are dead.

This was sad news indeed. My wife has friends in the city the accident occurred in. Thankfully, at least none of her friends were hurt or killed.
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this wasa very sad incident but i heard the guy was going really fast cause they have to get to the station in a certain time and very quick and he started to worry and he went to fast and derailed i dont know if you guys know that but i forgot were iheard that but that sucks. i odnt think it was a terrorist act i think it was just the driver that was going way to fast

We were aware of that possiblity.

Exhibit A:

jholic wrote:

read the news reports myself, and i don't think it has anything to do with foul play. the driver was very young (23), and cited a few times for infractions, missing a stop, etc. on the stop just before the crash, he missed the stop by about 25ft. had to back up the train, and lost valuable time. they're thinking he was trying to make up for lost time and speeding (he was two minutes late - which in hawaii translates to the #52 "wahiawa-circle island" bus coming two HOURS late.)

Sad indeed it was.
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I might (or not) get admonished for creating a new thread, but, what the heck, I haven't seen it posted yet, IT'S BOYS' DAY!!!!! (the Japanese holiday formerly known as tango no sekku) in Japan, and in other places where Boys' Day is celebrated, like Hawai'i! And wow, lands on none other than a 05/05/05 date!

My folks still fly the koinobori at the house (and I'd wish they'd STOP doing it!!!! Oh, well, the other folks in the neighborhood fly 'em, so, ahhhh, nevah mind already ).

Kinda' good day for us Japanese (and part-Japanese, in my case) males . . . get taken out to dinner AND given okane FROM RELATIVES . I'd trade both, though, for an in-person Happy Boys' Day! greeting from Ms. Fukada Kyoko on this day (I know, I know, I'll keep dreaming, haha).

In any case, female folk, please wish a happy boys' day to the, uh, boy(s) and/or man (men) in your life. Yeah. That's it.

The Man wrote:

I might (or not) get admonished for creating a new thread, but, what the heck, I haven't seen it posted yet, IT'S BOYS' DAY!!!!! (the Japanese holiday formerly known as tango no sekku) in Japan, and in other places where Boys' Day is celebrated, like Hawai'i! And wow, lands on none other than a 05/05/05 date! My folks still fly the koinobori at the house (and I'd wish they'd STOP doing it!!!! Oh, well, the other folks in the neighborhood fly 'em, so, ahhhh, nevah mind already ). Kinda' good day for us Japanese (and part-Japanese, in my case) males . . . get taken out to dinner AND given okane FROM RELATIVES . I'd trade both, though, for an in-person Happy Boys' Day! greeting from Ms. Fukada Kyoko on this day (I know, I know, I'll keep dreaming, haha). In any case, female folk, please wish a happy boys' day to the, uh, boy(s) and/or man (men) in your life. Yeah. That's it.

Yeah, I remember my family flying the fish-sock too on 5/5.



Peace,
PCM

hahaha. I still remember Boy's Day.

In elementary school, on Girl's Day, the teacher made us put the girls' chairs up on the desk at the end of the day and vice versa for Boy's Day.

As adults, too bad they can't make the women work for us on Boy's Day and give the guys a day off
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ahochaude wrote:

As adults, too bad they can't make the women work for us on Boy's Day and give the guys a day off

WELL IN MEXICO and MANY AMERICAN CITIES W/ LARGE MEXICAN & CHICANO POPULATIONS IT'S DRUNK BOYS' DAY...i.e., CINCO DE MAYO....so i'm sure there are few boys who took the day off....hehe.

Tu_triky wrote:

WELL IN MEXICO and MANY AMERICAN CITIES W/ LARGE MEXICAN & CHICANO POPULATIONS IT'S DRUNK BOYS' DAY...i.e., CINCO DE MAYO....so i'm sure there are few boys who took the day off....hehe.

Hhaaahhhhah, well, yeah, of course it's that day, too .

Probably guys who took the next 2 days off.

They won't remember a thing when they get back to work on Monday.
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ahochaude wrote:

Probably guys who took the next 2 days off. They won't remember a thing when they get back to work on Monday.

lol.

ain't that the truth...i live in l.a. and i didn't partake to be honest but i was listening to the radio this afternoon around lunch as i was driving and ppl were gettin' ripped and it was barely noon time.....

i think for some, it's like saint paddy's day for the irish.....it's a sacred day were the alcohol flows freely.