Track deterioration caused by low-speed trains may also increase as structures are made to fit the speed of high-speed trains.
1.4 Reduced Transportation Costs
Reduced transportation costs are a major theme in enhancing the appeal and sustainability of railways. Railway and track maintenance normally constitutes 10 - 15% of transport costs, although this figure varies widely according to the nature of the railway.
Needless to say, transport costs must be cut by reducing track maintenance fees. The simple solution - lowering the quality and quantity of maintenance - is not the answer.
Excessive maintenance is also out of the question. Measures which require a financial commitment are needed, including the reduction of maintenance work resulting from track strengthening, revision of the maintenance system, mechanization of track maintenance work, and improving inspections, in order to cut back fees without sacrificing standards.
Maintenance work centering around manpower is economical when railways experience little track deterioration and labor is easily secured. Accordingly, throughout railway history, maintenance has focused on the use of manpower. However, transport volume has expanded and train speeds have increased with economic progress, causing increased track deterioration and, subsequently, increased maintenance. At the same time, it has become difficult to hire laborers to perform maintenance work, given the harsh conditions. Track maintenance work has little appeal in Japan, like other countries, and has been called a typical example of "3K labor", taking the first letter of three adjectives used to describe it: "kitsui" (hard), "kiken" (dangerous) and "kitanai" (dirty).
Under these circumstances, maintenance has become extremely costly. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce manpower by using machines for many of the maintenance duties and inspections, and to make the work itself more appealing.
1.5 A Better Environment
Railways are primarily a low-pollutant mode of land transport compared to automobiles.
Social problems can result from noise pollution, vibrations and the emission of excrement from passenger trains, and these tend to arise alongside increases in transport volume, higher train speeds and social progress. Minimal action must be taken to deal with these problems for people other than users, and for each, track improvement is an effective countermeasure.
2 Railway Modernization and Tracks
To implement the railway modernization described earlier, the following topics must be
