Japan's bullet trains in snow

 To keep the rails free of snow and ice in the cold and high-rainfall season sprinkler systems have been installed to meet the high quality standards of the Shinkansen railway network. Up to now, the pipelines mentioned were made of steel. Corrosion in the steel pipelines is caused by the seasonal system stop during the warm summer time which in conclusion caused a malfunction of the deicing when it was needed. For the new train section Tokyo - Shin Aomori high quality PE 100 E-fittings and special components from AGRU have been used in order to fulfil the stringent requirements in this installation. Additional expansions were installed only with PE 100 piping systems whereby products of AGRU have provided a very important contribution. For the sprinkler system at the Shinkansen highspeed railway track AGRU E-couplers in the dimensions OD 110 mm to OD 400 mm were applied because of the easy and safe installation at the rail track. Furthermore moulded AGRU sweep bends OD 125 mm to OD 400 mm were applied to ensure excellent flow characteristics and high pressure ratings of the installed piping system. the Tōkaidō Shinkansen often experiences heavy snow in the area around Maibara Station in winter. Trains have to reduce speed, which can disrupt the timetable. Sprinkler systems were later installed, but delays of 10 to 20 minutes still occur during snowy weather. Additionally, tree falls related to excess snow have caused service interruptions. Along the route of the Jōetsu Shinkansen, winter snow can be very heavy, with snow depths of two to three metres, so the line is equipped with stronger sprinklers and slab track, to mitigate the effects of deep snow.

high speed rail,bullet trains