Convergence of Information Technology and Control Systems in Railway Transportation Service Systems

INTRODUCTION TRANSPORTATION of people is increasing as our society grows and the demand for railway services that can provide high-speed and high-capacity transportation is becoming greater. The number of train rides taken in Japan in 2006 was 22,243 million, more than anywhere else in the world by some margin, making Japan one of the world’s leading railway nations. A major feature of railway systems in Japan is that urban areas are served by a number of different railway operators resulting in complex railway networks that operate in a high-density environment with mutual interconnections and various different fare structures. For inter-city transport, high-speed Shinkansen services operate with a frequency not seen anywhere else in the world. These Japanese railway systems have allowed railway operators to provide a high degree of punctuality and improved convenience for passengers. As a result, Japan’s railway systems are recognized for giving their users a high level of peace of mind about transportation and for having made a major OVERVIEW: Railways play an important role in Japan and the country has well-developed railway services both in its major cities and on inter-city routes. Railway services have evolved in part as a way for people to commute to work or school and mission-critical systems have been implemented to support railway operations and ensure that services are punctual even during the morning and evening rush hours when train operation timetables are particularly busy. Coordination between these mission-critical systems will also be a requirement for the ongoing future development of railway services. We intend to continue contributing to the development of social infrastructure through railway systems by supporting, across different systems and different railway operators, services that provide links to other communities and are part of the social framework through the convergence of information and control technologies we have built up over many years and by strengthening their role in a service platform.