Message from President

President
Dr. Ikuo Watanabe The challenges facing our society, such as intensifying climate change, the increasing frequency of large-scale natural disasters, and the growing need to achieve carbon neutrality (by 2050), are becoming ever more serious, apparent, and complex. Railways are currently facing urgent issues, such as labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and many hurdles that need to be cleared to ensure the continued operation of regional railways. At the same time, rapid advances are being made in science and technology, particularly in digital fields such as AI and automatic train operation, as well as in decarbonization technologies.

In response to these circumstances, the Railway Technical Research Institute has formulated its new five-year medium-term plan, “RESEARCH 2030,” which will be implemented from fiscal 2025. This plan is designed to realize our vision: “to develop innovative technologies for better railways that can contribute to the building of a happier society.”

Under the banner of "creating sustainable railway systems," we are vigorously promoting research and development activities to create innovative technologies aimed at realizing the ideal form of future railways that are safe, secure, smart, environmentally friendly, and sustainable. At the same time, we are committed to executing each project to the best of our ability.