JR East switches to passenger-operated doors for Tōkaidō Line terminals
ドア開閉、乗客がボタンで…東京・品川駅など
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/news/20130819-OYT1T00509.htm
On 2013.08.19, JR East has switched to passenger control of doors at terminals on the Tōkaidō Line—namely, Tōkyō, Shinagawa, Atami, and Odawara, together with Itō Station on the Itō Line in Shizuoka Prefecture. The change allows for more efficient use of train AC systems by keeping the train doors closed until needed and maintaining the interior temperature.
At Tōkyō Station, for example, arriving trains currently wait about 10 minutes at the platform before heading back outbound towards Odawara, Atami, or Itō. During this time, the doors are left open, and some passengers have complained to the railway that the AC system wasn’t working properly. As a result, JR East says it will change its policy and switch door operation to the passenger-operated buttons located to the side of each set of doors. The change will be implemented on trains departing Tōkyō and Shinagawa from the start of service until 3:00 pm to avoid problems during the evening rush hour, but at all trains at the outer terminals, and will be in effect year-round. For the few remaining trains without passenger-operated button systems, the train’s conductor will continue to have control of the doors.
This policy is already in effect at Ueno Station, the terminus of the Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, and Jōban Line, and the railway is considering expanding the policy to additional lines.
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FNN video report (2013.08.19):
An interesting change, but I can’t help but wonder why now… Initially, I thought it might have been because they’ve only just removed all of the 211 series from the line, but from what I can tell, the 211 also had passenger-operated door buttons (i.e., “half-automatic doors” 半自動ドア), and I’m sure they must have gotten complaints over the years regarding the AC. The only thing I can think of is maybe they want to make their layover policies on the Tōkaidō Line uniform with the Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, and Jōban Line, since many of those trains will be through-servicing onto the Tōkaidō Line and terminating at all of these stations once the Tōhoku Through Line is complete.