Keio Line slashing Indiscriminate incident following Odakyu "Train scary" safety measures

A case in which 17 people were injured when passengers were slashed inside a train on the Keio Line running in Chofu City, Tokyo. In August this year, passengers were slashed with a knife on the Odakyu Line and 10 people were seriously injured. What is going on?

"I ran out of the window without opening the door"

A 72-year-old male passenger was found inside a Keio Line train near Kokuryo Station in Chofu City, Tokyo around 8:00 pm on the 31st. He was stabbed with a knife and became unconscious, and 16 people, including junior high school students, were injured by inhaling smoke.

An office worker who was on the same train ``When I was in the second or third car, people rushed in from behind. Everyone hurriedly opened the windows of the train and ran away.As we were escaping, we heard a voice saying, 'They were wielding a knife.'It was so scary that I couldn't stop shivering."

Company employee "The train door didn't open, and everyone was in a state of panic, so we got off the train platform through the window. Rather than being scared, I didn't know what had happened, and just wanted to escape as soon as possible. "

Door doesn't open due to misaligned stop

Why didn't the door open? According to Keio Electric Railway, just before stopping the train at Kokuryo Station, passengers used a cock to open the door in an emergency, so acceleration was automatically controlled as a safety measure and the train stopped.

For this reason, the train stopped before the normal stop position, and the position of the train door and the platform door of the station was misaligned.

The conductor did not decide to open all the doors because the passengers could not safely get off the platform if the doors opened in this situation, and the station staff also opened the platform doors for the same reason. It means that they did not respond.

Challenges in grasping the situation inside the train

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in this incident, the button of the emergency call device was pressed while passing Fuda Station, one station before Kokuryo Station. , the inside of the car was so confused that the conductor and others could not hear what was going on with the microphone. There was no security camera in the vehicle where the incident occurred, so it was not possible to check the situation inside the vehicle in real time.

If the emergency call device is pressed and the situation inside the train cannot be confirmed, the train is supposed to stop at the next station. All I know is that it was after that.

A series of “indiscriminate incidents” on trains and “fear of riding”

There have been a series of incidents in which passengers were indiscriminately attacked on trains. In 2018, three male and female passengers were cut in the car of the Tokaido Shinkansen running in Kanagawa Prefecture, and one man died. Furthermore, in August this year, passengers on the Odakyu Line running in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, were cut with a knife and 10 people were seriously injured.

In response to the incident on the night of the 31st, there have been a series of posts on SNS saying, "I'm afraid to get on the train."

"The train is a closed room and there is nowhere to escape. Limited express trains don't stop for a long time and it's scary." There seemed to be a lot of people, but how should I escape with a child?" "I'm really scared because Odakyu and Keio have no good preventive measures." and measures taken by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism

In response to a series of incidents, railway companies are strengthening their measures, such as promoting the introduction of security cameras that monitor trains and increasing the frequency of patrols. increase. However, it is practically difficult to inspect the luggage of passengers, and the reality is that even if you bring a knife into the car, it cannot be checked.

In addition, in response to the Tokaido Shinkansen incident, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has urged railway operators to install security cameras in stations and trains. On the other hand, camera images are often taken out after the train is moved to a depot after an accident or incident, so there are many things that cannot be grasped in real time.

In the Tokaido Shinkansen and Tokyu Corporation, the installation of cameras that can grasp the situation inside the train in real time is progressing, but other railway companies in the metropolitan area require large-scale repairs of vehicles and a large amount of money. Therefore, it is difficult to introduce it to all vehicles immediately.

Following the incident on the Odakyu Line in August, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced that there was another incident in which a knife was used on the train, so the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism asked railway operators nationwide to open stations and other facilities. He instructed that patrols should be strengthened and security guards should be on the trains to ensure vigilance and surveillance.

In the future, we will consider giving more specific instructions to each company based on the results of Keio Electric Railway's investigation in cooperation with the police.