Railway Technical Research Institute : Overview, Offices and test facilities, Gauge Change Train, Publications Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Railway Technical Research Institute

Railway research institute in Japan

Japan

Region served

Japan

Official language

JapaneseLeaderMasao Mukaidono, chairpersonAffiliationsJapan Railways Group

Budget

15.3 billion YEN (FY 2009) ^[1]

Staff

512 (as of 1 October 2008)Websitewww.rtri.or.jp

Railway Technical Research Institute (鉄道総合技術研究所, Tetsudō Sōgō Gijutsu Kenkyūsho), or RTRI (鉄道総研, Tetsudō Sōken), is the technical research company under the Japan Railways group of companies.

Overview

RTRI was established in its current form in 1986 just before Japanese National Railways (JNR) was privatised and split into separate JR group companies. It conducts research on everything related to trains, railways and their operation. It is funded by the government and private rail companies. It works both on developing new railway technology, such as magnetic levitation, and on improving the safety and economy of current technology.

Its research areas include earthquake detection and alarm systems, obstacle detection on level crossings, improving adhesion between train wheels and tracks, reducing energy usage, noise barriers and preventing vibrations.

JR's first experimental magnetic levitation train, ML100, on display outside RTRI

RTRI is the main developer in the Japanese SCMaglev program.

Offices and test facilities

Gatsugi

Shiozawa

Wind Tunnel

Kunitachi

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RTRI　

Research facilities

Office

Main office

844 Shin-Kokusai Bldg. 3-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan

Research facilities

Kunitachi Institute - 2-8-38 Hikari-cho, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, 185-8540, Japan
Wind Tunnel Technical Center, Maibara, Shiga
Shiozawa Snow Testing Station, Minami-Uonuma, Niigata
Hino Civil Engineering Testing Station, Hino, Tokyo
Gatsugi Anti-Salt Testing Station, Sanpoku, Niigata

Gauge Change Train

The RTRI is developing a variable gauge system, called the "Gauge Change Train", to allow 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Shinkansen trains to access 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) lines of the original rail network.^[2]

Publications

Japan Railway & Technical Review
Quarterly Report of RTRI - Print: ISSN 0033-9008 Online: ISSN 1880-1765

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Railway Technical Research Institute.

^ http://www.rtri.or.jp/rtri/gyomu_zaimu/h21/pdf/6_1.pdf^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Japan Railway & Transport Review - page 6" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2006. Retrieved 9 December 2008.

External links

Official website

Japan Railways Group

Predecessors: Ministry of Industry; Cabinet; Home Ministry; Ministry of Communications; Ministry of Railways; Ministry of Transport and Communications [ja]; Ministry of Transport; Japanese National Railways; Japan Railway Construction Public Corporation; JNR Settlement Corporation

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