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The Kintetsu Railway derailment occurred shortly after departing Kyoto Station. Experts believe the accident was caused by a combination of factors and that determining the cause will take time. Following the accident, Kintetsu repaired the tracks and resumed operations after confirming safety through test runs.
However, the detailed cause of the accident is still under investigation. While some passengers have expressed anxiety, the investigation is proceeding while operations continue due to the importance of the infrastructure with many passengers. According to Professor Hitoshi Tsunashima, a specially appointed professor at Nihon University who is knowledgeable about railway engineering, a formal accident investigation by a national agency “may take about a year.” Why is it expected to take so long to determine the cause? ▼MBS NEWS DIG
The Kintetsu Kyoto Line, which experienced a derailment accident on the 29th, underwent restoration work for more than a full day, and resumed operations on the morning of the 30th. The resumption of operations occurred while the cause of the derailment remains unknown. According to an expert familiar with railway maintenance and inspection, this accident “may have occurred because even if there were no problems with the tracks or the train individually, slight misalignments combined to cause the derailment,” and he pointed out that if it had occurred during rush hour, there could have been fatalities or injuries. ✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼••┈┈┈┈••✼ Kansai TV “news runner” broadcast on June 30, 2026
On the morning of the 29th, the first train of the day on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, bound for Kashiharajingu-mae Station from Kyoto Station, derailed. The driver said that at the time of the accident, he felt as if he was being pulled from behind. There were 30 passengers on board, but no one was injured. The derailment occurred on a sharp curve just off Kyoto Station. Furthermore, the points that switch the train’s route are intricately intertwined, making it a unique location on the Kintetsu line. It is also the starting station, and the points allow trains to move back and forth on the up and down lines to use multiple platforms, but the derailment occurred when the train passed over these points. However, there have been no previous incidents of trouble at this location. There were no abnormalities found during pre-departure inspections.
Takashi Ohno, head of facilities at Kintetsu Railway Headquarters Osaka General Affairs Department, said, “Before the first train runs, we conduct a track inspection on foot at this location, including the points and switches. We also use a remote system to check whether the switches are functioning correctly. No abnormalities have been found in any of them.” The train’s speed at the time was the normal 20 kilometers per hour. Possible causes have been suggested, such as a foreign object on the tracks or a point malfunction while a train was passing, but Kintetsu has denied both.
Hitoshi Takaura, General Manager of Kintetsu Railway Headquarters Osaka Division, said, “(Q. Is there a possibility of human error?) We plan to thoroughly investigate the cause, but at this point we have not been able to confirm whether there was any clear human error, so we would like to ask for a little more time to proceed with the investigation.” The Kintetsu Kyoto Line is a representative line of the Kinki region, serving as a key route for commuters and students connecting Kyoto and Nara, as well as for tourism, but there is no prospect of it being restored. [TV Asahi NEWS]
