Secret codes, signals, and a mysterious language.
All used for a single strict purpose: To master time
 
 
 
Yet below the world capital of High-tech, automation is not replacing people
Less than half a second out
 
 
Going behind the scenes of the world's busiest Metros to explore Japan's unique relationship with time
 
We'll show how Tokyo Metro's reputation for timekeeping is built on a unique alliance between digital precision and intuitive human skills.
We'll show how Tokyo Metro's reputation for timekeeping is built on a unique alliance between digital precision and intuitive human skills.
 
What does it take to bring safe efficient and reliable service to Tokyo Metro's six million daily passengers?
"The trains are always on time. It's amazing, yeah."
By 5:00 a.m. each morning, all Tokyo Metro stations are open for business with the same ritual.
And after each entrance is raised a finger is pointed as a signal
By 8:00 a.m.
One of the Metro's busiest stations Ikebukuro is swamped by commuters who know their trains will arrive exactly as scheduled
 
Approximately 300,000 passengers crowd onto the Marounuchi Line during rush hour but everyone waits patiently
and this man is on hand ready to pull a low-tech rope trick.
 
 
Crowd control and a compliant public help keep trains running on time
Commuters have space to rush out of the carriages since others wait in line before boarding
 
Another batch of passengers move on to the platform. It's a cyclic slow motion ballet which commuters have performed for decades
But it prevents causing overcrowding, accidents, and delays
 
Beyond time gurus are the drivers. They spend their working life on one line and don't need
Speedometers to tell them how fast to go to reach each station on schedule
 
Drivers must pass a rigorous training process along with random checks by Chief instructor, Mr. Hatoba
 
The test requires the driver to travel this [distance] in precisely one minute five seconds
 
 
The Margin of error is less than a second
This stretch must be covered in 1 minute 45 seconds.
 
 
His margin of error was just 0.19 seconds
This building is the driving training HQ complete with the simulator loadout scenarios for every emergency
from catastrophic earthquakes to a kite on the power lines
it's presiding genius Kazunori Fujishiro
 
 
 
 
The simulator is just like a real train: the same controls
realistic visuals and even the same vibrations and sense of movement
 
 
 
This kind of computer game technology sharpens the reflex skills needed to deal with real-life emergencies and minimize disruption
At the end of the day tokyo metro gets millions of commuters home on time
Yuko Mito is an authority on Japan's Railways. She wrote a book which connects the Nation's focus with time to an earthquake in tokyo
To cope with the number of commuters from the suburbs Railways started to run trains in units of seconds
Passengers soon Learned to behave in an orderly way and the unwritten code about waiting on the platform reflects the unique
Relationship between tokyo metro and its passengers based on the shared interest in being on time
Once the commuter rush is over the next challenge is to get over-tired stragglers onto the last train
The last train has left and the late shift puts the system to bed
Large stations have so many entrances that biking is the best way to get around to close thee.One must cover some two kilometers
of distance to reach all of the 24 entrances within Otemachi station
In the small hours the above-ground City shuts down
But tokyo Metro never sleeps. the only time to check the tracks and other hard assets is when the trains aren't running
It takes eight years for this team to check the entire tunnel network for structural problems because this work cannot be done by machine
Masanori Noguchi's skill is his ability to understand different sounds
He marks the sections that needs repair to prevent structural collapse disrupting the timetable, aware that
keen observant skills are vital for maintaining the infrastructure
Coming up: we explore cutting-edge technology that keeps tokyo metro on time
Discover the importance of autopilot and how do train drivers gauge their speed by instinct
Another day, another crowd of patient satisfied commuters
Today this instinct takes the form of training a chance for Mr. Hakoba to show off his drill
The driver continues to accelerate and decelerate as Mr.. Hakoba dictates.
Precisely 35 km/h
36 Km/h
This technique has a colorful history
Kookie Yuki's method involved memorizing the passing scenery and using landmarks as markers for accelerating or slowing down
With no instruments drivers were able to gauge time by instinct, allowing trains to run on time. This method is still in use today
But speed isn't everything
New train conductors must learn the correct signaling procedure
Finger pointing confirmation is a key symbol of Railway and Metro men
Japanese Railway workers learn to confirm what they have seen by voicing and pointing a
mysterious white glove (?) and the ultimate symbol of Japan's love affair with time
With so many passengers customer service is a big deal for tokyo Metro. No other [metro] gives it greater importance
An entire building is devoted to training recruits in the mysterious art of customer service
Inside there's a mock-up station with the same hardware as real stations
But the focus is people and today a class of recruits is meeting the director of customer service, Mr. Kamei
First steps in hospitality training include learning how to greet customers,
Counting out change,
Mr. Kamei's passion for customer service means new technology depends on important people skills
Trains can't run on time if tracks aren't maintained and machines do this far better than humans
The multiple tight /ampere/ or /mutter type/ is a special train that straightens bench rail tracks
Vibrations from the passage of trains loosen the crushed stones, distorting the rails above them
the machine lifts up the rails and repacks the crushed stones
this corrects the distorted rails
It can fix 200 meters of track in half an hour
After the /motto tie/ comes the ballast engine complete with a special brush to disperse loose gravel
It can clean one kilometre of rail in 30 minutes
Tokyo Metro would not run on time without its maintenance yard
Every year the wheels of each carriage are skinned so they can roll like new
Every four years the body is removed from the flat car and the /bogies/ rolled away for cleaning
The man in charge is Mr. Yasuniwa
When the /bogle/ emerges it looks new, yet it is deconstructed even further for cleaning and inspection
Once fully deconstructed the train becomes this set of minute components
Each piece is hand polished, ultimate proof that hard technology relies on a human touch
This is certainly true of the train driver. Whose constant companion is:
Dead man, an automatic system [that] stops the train safely if the driver is suddenly incapacitated
Even though these trains can stop automatically drivers are proud this function is only used in an emergency
Yet where necessary technology plays its part high-tech safety features have also been fitted onto platforms
staff learn the precise workings of platform doors through a simulator in order to ensure passenger safety
It's the end of the day the last train is left, but another arrives for maintenance duty after midnight
It's loaded with platform doors which the team must install before the metro starts up again in the morning
Platform doors prevent accidents, they're the perfect example of the alliance between technical and human solutions
installation was completed within two hours
Tokyo lives in fear of another major earthquake
Coming up: we see how Tokyo Metro prepares for the worst
Japan's motivation to be precisely on time impresses everyone. "The trains are always on time
It's amazing, yeah." "I didn't have to wait at all. The train's already there."
New technology is already on its way for the future
LEDs will be installed on all trains for the sake of the environment and reliability
the Alliance between man and Machine Advances even further
Platform doors and movable steps like these are intended to avoid failures and keep trains running on time
Doors on new Carriages will be 50 centimeters wider than existing ones making boarding time 3 to 4 seconds faster
There are also plans to Introduce Solar power at stations
Even in this evacuation drill signs, vocalization of commands, and signals abound
That subway system should be a matter of pride shows tokyo metro has cracked the challenge of creating a genuine partnership between the
High-Tech and human
Perhaps, it's not just about using new technology to improve safety and reliability but valuing the commitment and skills of its people
above all else
But what would a train geek /earn/ from the ultimate Rail service?
