Tokyo: wireless headphones, a new plague of rail traffic

 

Small objects, but a lot of work. For several months, Japanese railway companies have had to redouble their efforts to get rid of wireless headphones, more and more of which are inadvertently ending up on the tracks. The JR East company, which operates the Tokyo rail network, has deplored about 950 cases of headphones falling on the rails in the capital and its region between July and September. A quantity which alone represents a quarter of all the objects found on the tracks, as reported by the daily Japan Times, whose information was spotted by our colleagues from Ouest France.

To retrieve objects that have fallen on the tracks, agents at train or metro stations use pliers. But in the case of wireless headphones, using the tool is more difficult, as abandoned devices tend to crawl under the gravel. The JR East company ended up taking the lead and partnered with the Panasonic group to create a specialized vacuum cleaner, with the aim of making it easier for agents to retrieve these headphones. Tests are currently being carried out at the Ikebukuro station in JR East, with initial optimistic results.

Traveler awareness

To eradicate this new plague, the officials of JR East also wanted to educate travelers, asking them to be careful not to drop their devices. They also ask passengers not to pick up items that land on the rails themselves, but to contact station staff.

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