| Masahiro Fujiwara | Rolling Stock Engineering Dept., Rolling Stock Systems Div., Transportation Systems Div., Industrial Systems, |
| Ryuji Tanaka | Rolling Stock Electrical Systems Design Dept., Mito Transportation Systems Product Div., Transportation Systems Div., Industrial Systems, |
| Hitoshi Takiguchi | Signaling Systems Design Dept., Mito Transportation Systems Product Div., Transportation Systems Div., Industrial Systems, |
| Naoji Ueki | Rolling Stock Systems Design Dept., Kasado Works, Industrial Systems, |
| Junichi Seki | Mobile Communication System Engineering Dept., Emergency Communication System Office, Government & Public Communication Div., |
The Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau's Nanakuma Line Subway, constructed to relieve chronic congestion in the southwest section of Fukuoka, Japan, to provide an efficient and convenient public transportation system, and to further promote well-balanced urban development, went into service on February 3, 2005. Existing lines built over the past 20 years have been the driver-only operation type, but with this line for the first time in Japan a full-automatic operation system was applied to a subway line, a system that supports "the Fukuoka plan," flexibility for diversity of train crew personnel employment.(1) Implementing full-automatic operation on a subway involves much more than simply automating the navigation of the train per se, for it requires careful consideration of the security and riding comfort of passengers while ensuring their safety in the face of various abnormal events that might occur. Building on the company's accumulated technical expertise with driver-only operating systems, Hitachi was brought in early to participate in the development of a subway full-automatic operation system that is safe and efficient, and charged with the development of two key systems that are at the heart of the full-automatic operation system: the traffic control system and the train system.
 |
Fukuoka City Transportation Bureau (Japanese Only) |
|
The Hitachi Hyoron (Japanese Only) |
full-automatic operation, Nanakuma Line, traffic control system, train system
