How Japan's Rail Industry Bounced Back From The Tsunami

Above, a Tohoku shinkansen.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

An interesting article was posted by the U.K.'s Telegraph on "How Japan's Rail Industry Bounced Back From The Tsunami."

It starts with:

It took more than six years for train punctuality to recover after the October 2000 Hatfield crash which killed four people and injured another 102 when a London to Leeds express hurtled off the track at 115mph. 

To the frustration of passengers, trains crawled along the network as the Government imposed speed restrictions amid fears that a phenomenon known as gauge corner cracking could cause another derailment. 

By comparison, the Japanese rail network – including its fleet of 200mph bullet trains were working normally within 50 days of the earthquake and tsunami which devastated the country and killed, according to the latest official figures, 18,926 people.

An interesting contrast!

To read the full article go here.