Kei Matsumura, Yuichi Ito, Kouichi Takeya, Eiichi Sasaki

Abstract: Legal frameworks for railway infrastructure management prescribe inspection intervals but often lack unified standards for inspection procedures. Consequently, railway operators develop and implement independent systems for structural maintenance and management, resulting in considerable variability among them. However, detailed information on these systems remains limited, making it difficult to evaluate how different approaches impact railway safety and influence crisis awareness of maintenance personnel. This study investigates the organisational structure of different Japanese railway operators involved in railway maintenance and management and examines how different operator characteristics, maintenance practices, and individual experience influence crisis awareness of personnel involved in structural maintenance. The findings suggest that direct experience is the most significant factor influencing crisis awareness of personnel, and that organizational structure and education play a crucial but secondary role. Although this research is based on Japanese case studies, the results offer relevant insight for other railway systems outside Japan that face similar challenges in infrastructure maintenance.

Keywords: Maintenance, Management, railway operators, Crisis awareness.

Date Published: December 5, 2025
DOI: 10.11159/ijci.2025.021

View Article