Why Are Large Numbers Painted on the Roofs of Yurikamome Trains? — How Second-Floor Walkways Enhance Safety and Efficiency at the Railyard

Train set numbers are typically painted

on the front of train cars to identify

each unit,

but on Yurikamome trains, these

numbers are also painted on the roof.

While these roof markings are rarely

noticed under normal circumstances,

they reflect a design philosophy aimed

at improving safety and operational

efficiency at the railyard.

At the Yurikamome railyard located

between Tokyo Big Sight and Ariake

Station, three key operational areas

—the inspection building for periodic

maintenance, the inspection platform

for main-line entry and exit, and the

stabling lines—are all connected to the

central administrative building via

elevated walkways on the second

-floor level. This layout allows

inspectors to directly access target

train sets without crossing high

-voltage ground-level power lines

unique to AGT systems, structurally

eliminating the risk of track-crossing

accidents at the site.

To fully leverage this elevated access

structure, train set numbers were

painted on the roofs. This design

allows inspectors to instantly identify

target train sets from above before

descending from the second-floor

walkways to the ground-level work

area. Because all 26 train sets lined

up in the yard can be surveyed at a

glance from the second floor, this

feature prevents identification errors

and significantly boosts the efficiency

of daily inspection and maintenance

routines.

By combining architectural design that

eliminates hazardous track crossings

with the visual innovation of roof

markings, these unique roof numbers

safeguard maintenance staff and

support the safe, reliable daily

operation of Yurikamome through a

dependable maintenance framework.

I hope you look forward to the next

AGT Blog!