On Nov. 21, JR Kyushu installed a new set of sliding doors on the platform of Kyudai Gakkentoshi Station (Chikuhi Line) in a bid to reduce the number of accidents and prevent the possibility of passengers falling onto the tracks. The doors were set up on one side of the platform and their effectiveness will be assessed during the following trial period. The new frame-like doors resemble gates and are made up of rods, meaning that they are about 40% lighter and 30% cheaper than the standard options. These are the first platform doors of these kind that JR Kyushu have set up, and it appears that Nishinippon Railway also has plans to adopt the innovative mechanisms. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, there are 686 stations across the country that use platform doors (as of March 2017). The number has nearly doubled in urban areas over the last decade, but the number is still relatively low in Kyushu and Yamaguchi. Source: Mainichi Shimbun, 11/22/2017
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