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- Accident / Engineering / Train / Turtle
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West Japan Railway Company had a problem - their trains were keep getting delayed because of turtles.
A stuck turtle
This issue occurs from May to September, when turtle is active.
Every time turtles cross the railway and fall off in between the rail, they almost always end up in railroad switch.
Source: YouTube
When turtles find themselves at points where railway diverge, these poor turtles get caught.
It's not only bad for these turtles, but also for the rail network - the traffic signals won't change and trains come to a standstill.
A simple engineering solution to save turtles
The railway company contacted Suma Aquatic Park KOBE in order to try and fix this problem.
This method eliminated all the accidents near Goido station, where most of these accidents occurred.
"Catching" the turtles safely
The aquatic park's solution was simple - place a gutter before the railroad switch. It "collects" the lost turtles and send them to a right path.
Source: Suma Aquatic Park KOBE
Thanks to this ingenious method, the railway company was able to save 10 turtles during April and August.
And no train delays - talk about killing two birds in one stone!
The act of kindness at the core of this solution brings a heartwarming touch to engineering.
And a touching message from Suma Aquatic Park KOBE