Barriers on railway platforms to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks were installed at 449 rail stations on 38 lines nationwide as of the end of March, 17 more than the previous year, the transport ministry said Saturday.

The installations have been promoted particularly at subway stations, with Tokyo Metro Co. introducing the barriers in 59 stations out of 179.

East Japan Railway Co., meanwhile, has decided to set up the barriers at all of its 29 stations on the Yamanote Line, Tokyo's loop line, at a cost of ¥50 billion.

Among the 29, barriers have been set up at Ebisu and Meguro stations, and JR East will gradually complete the installations by the spring of 2018.