20 Years After Uetsu Line Derailment, JR East Cites 80% Hit Rate From AI-Backed Gust Detection

Overview

• Five passengers died and 33 were injured when a limited express derailed in Yamagata Prefecture on December 25, 2005 during a sudden gust event.
• JR East says forecasting accuracy has improved markedly since 2005, with its current detection system reporting roughly an 80% hit rate.
• The railway monitors rapidly developing cumulonimbus using Japan Meteorological Agency data and tracks upper-air vortices with Doppler radar on parts of the Uetsu Line.
• In 2020, JR East introduced a system that visualizes airflow from data and trains AI to recognize vortex characteristics to support operational decisions.
• At a 20th‑anniversary remembrance near the site, JR East’s president pledged the accident would not be forgotten as operators continue measures such as windbreaks and stricter restriction criteria.