Train vehicle accidents caused by strong winds sometimes occur in Japan. This paper is a review of research and development for railway disaster prevention against strong winds. The review covers the railway accidents induced by gales in Japan, the evaluation of limit wind velocity of overturning of railway vehicles, the measures such as regulation of train operation under strong winds and wind barriers, the essence of recent research and development in Japan, France and Germany on the subjects of train operation under strong winds. This paper also discusses the prospect of research and development for railway wind-induced disaster prevention.

Copyright (c) 2005 Railway Technical Research Institute