What is in-train maintenance? Commuter trains do not require such work, but Shinkansen and limited express trains involve “in-train maintenance before welcoming passengers. When a train arrives at a destination and then turns around as a train in the opposite direction, it takes time to perform such maintenance. However, the longer a train stays on the line, the fewer trains are allowed to arrive and depart. As a result of this last-minute effort, there are more and more situations where passengers cannot board a train until just before its departure time. The work involved in onboard maintenance differs depending on the station and the situation. For the Shinkansen and conventional express trains, the minimum tasks include rearranging seats, stowing back tables and curtains, and cleaning up trash in the passenger compartment. Additional tasks may include vacuuming the floor, collecting the contents of trash cans on the deck, wiping down tables and window stiles, and replacing head covers. These tasks can be performed on the station platform with the appropriate personnel, equipment, and replacement supplies. In the case of the Shinkansen, this is an amazing job because the process from the time passengers get off the train to the time the train is ready for boarding is completed in less than 10 minutes. However, there are some tasks that cannot be performed without taking the train into the depot. The most important of these is stool removal, or the removal of toilet waste from the tanks under the floor. Considering the cleanup of the removed waste, it is not feasible to do this at the station. In most cases, the replenishment of water used in the washrooms and toilets is also carried out at the train depot. I once reported on a site where water replenishment was carried out at a station, but this is now an exception to the rule.
Comparing the arrival number line with the departure number line, it is possible to determine whether the train is turning around or not. Because of these circumstances, what happens next to a train arriving at the terminal station can be roughly classified into two patterns: “on-the-spot onboard maintenance and turning around” and “taking the train into the rail yard for onboard maintenance, removal of feces, and replenishing water, etc.”. Conversely, the first train can be roughly classified into two patterns: one is to come out of the depot or detention line and set up at the depot, and the other is to turn around on the platform of the arriving train. In the former case, the train is ready for boarding as soon as it is placed on the platform, since the in-train maintenance has been completed at the rail yard or on the detention line. In the latter case, passengers cannot board the train until the in-train maintenance is completed. So, is there any way to distinguish between the two? If the train is coming out of the depot, there is a good chance that you will be able to board it in plenty of time. If you look at a paper timetable, you may find that each train is marked with its arrival and departure number. In particular, in the case of the Shinkansen, stations at both ends of the line are always marked with the departure and arrival numbers. This is actually a hint. As an example, let me cite the “Nozomi 27” of the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines. As of December 23, 2024, the time of this writing, “Nozomi No. 27” departs from Tokyo at 11:12 a.m. and its departure line is No. 18. So, I checked the timetable for the up direction to see if there were any trains arriving at platform 18 a little earlier than 11:12. I found the “Nozomi 210” arriving at 10:15, but it would not block the precious track and platform by staying at Tokyo Station for an hour. Then, we can assume that the car arrived by “Nozomi No. 210” would be taken into the Oi rail yard, and another car would be brought out from the Oi rail yard and installed on Track 18. The next train, “Nozomi No. 29” bound for Hakata, will depart from the same Track 18 at 11:30. The next train, “Nozomi No. 80” to Hakata, leaves the same platform at 11:30 a.m. The same procedure is applied to the up train, “Nozomi No. 80”, which arrives at the same platform at 11:15 a.m. If the interval is 15 minutes, we can assume that it is a turnaround train on the platform. In other words, we check if there is an up train arriving at the same platform only a few minutes before the interval of a typical on-platform turnaround. The same procedure is applied to other Shinkansen trains.
At terminal stations, many trains are taken into the rail yard. However, this is a Tokyo station story. At the opposite end of the line, i.e., Hakata, Kanazawa, Tsuruga, Niigata, and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, trains are often taken into the rail yard once they arrive. For the Kyushu Shinkansen and the West Kyushu Shinkansen, the rail yard is located only at the intermediate stations, so trains stop at intermediate stations, or trains are sent around. The reason why more trains are taken into the rail yard at the terminal station is mainly due to the following reasons. The repeated turnaround on the platform not only makes it impossible to remove the sewage disposal system, but also empties the drinking water tanks.
Vehicles must be entered for inspection at appropriate intervals.
When a schedule disturbance occurs, it is easy for delays to spread to turnaround trains. In the case of on-platform turnaround, if an arriving train is delayed, its turnaround train will also be delayed. If the train is inbound and another train is outbound in its place, the delay can be stopped there.
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