Japan 7 Days S2011E15 - Seismic sensing technology aids bullet trains

Seismic Sensing Technology Aids Bullet Trains All 27 scheduled bullet trains running in northeastern Japan on March 11th reduced their speed at the first sign of tremors, before the main impact of the earthquake arrived. Some had been running as fast as 300 kilometers per hour, but they all stopped safely. Seismic wave sensing technology is what prevented derailments. In 2007, the technology was employed to provide warnings of impending quakes via television and other media. It now also is used in sending alerts to individuals' cell phones. Mexico is the only other country with a similar system. In Japan, the warning comes only about 30 seconds in advance, but 30 seconds can make a dramatic difference. We'll meet one of the designers of the system and discuss how those 30 seconds can be used to make decisions and save lives.