Recently I was surfing youtube and decided to watch some videos of Tokyo train operations, one of the most unusual sights I saw was platform staff saluting the operator and the operator pointing and verbally stating what he was pointing at.Japanese rail systems are known for being the safest to ride worldwide. Why? They take safety to a level beyond just looking at signals and communicating with the control towers. Each time a train or subway enters certain stations operators and staff point out things that need to be done or checked to ensure safety standards are met.
The system is almost perfect, accidents are very rare and from what I have read amount to a low of 15% What that is based on I have no idea. My guess is it is based on the amount of trips and people in transit, rated at about 12 billion passengers country wide. Somehow I think it is based on the number of trips. The goal is to reduce errors that can cause mistakes, which in turn reduces accidents in the system.
There is not much in the way of detailed explanation, most likely to avoid risk of some prankster disrupting the routine of the operator and staff. You can read and also look at videos of staff doing the calling via youtube just key in Japanese pointing and calling.
Here is a video of a driver using the system as he operates his train.
BTW the system is actually being used in New York City.
Cliff T.
