Nippori Station on the Nippori-Toneri Liner = Arakawa Ward, Tokyo (material photo)
The metropolitan “Nippori-Toneri Liner” connecting Arakawa-ku and Adachi-ku, Tokyo, has been in trouble for four consecutive days since the 10th. The metropolitan transportation bureau announced on the 13th that the sudden rise in temperature caused the overhead wire to bend, and the pantograph, which receives electricity from the overhead wire, was damaged. A total of 217 trains were suspended, including the first train on the 13th until after 6:00 a.m., affecting a total of about 33,800 people.
According to the Tokyo metropolitan government, power outages began around 11:30 am on the 10th, with power outages continuing in some sections. The staff found damage to the pantograph in the vehicle in the blackout section and repaired part of the overhead wire.
Around 1:00 p.m. on the following day, the 11th, during an inspection on foot, a staff member confirmed sag in the overhead wire between Kohoku and Nishiarai Daishi West. A person in charge explained, “When the overhead wire stretched due to a sudden rise in temperature, the metal fittings, which play a role in absorbing the length, became defective due to dust and scratches, resulting in deflection.” The damage to the pantograph on the 10th is also presumed to have been caused by the deflection of the overhead wire.
All lines resumed on the evening of the 11th, but the power went out again on the night of the 12th. This time, the pantograph bolt of another vehicle, which was replaced after the power outage on the 10th, had come loose. The cause is unknown, and the person in charge said, “We would like to take all possible measures by thoroughly investigating the cause.”
The Nippori-Toneri Liner operates automatically under computer control. According to a survey of urban railway congestion rates released by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in July last year, the congestion rate of the Toneri Liner was 144%, the highest among major routes nationwide. (Mayuko Watanabe, Chitomo Miyake)
