A commuter train that rammed a stationary train early Saturday in Kawasaki failed to slow even after the emergency brakes were applied, an investigation has shown.
Railway Tokyu Corp. believes the heavy snow that hit the Tokyo area that day may have weakened the brakes before the incident, which occurred at around 12:30 a.m. on the Tokyu Toyoko Line linking Tokyo and Yokohama, injuring 19 passengers. The train bumped into another that had stopped at Motosumiyoshi Station in Kawasaki after overrunning the stop line by about 30 meters.
According to transport authorities, the train was going 80 kph on a section with a speed limit of 95 kph but failed to stop in less than 200 meters, which emergency brakes can usually do.