You would think being an island railway, Kitisha would be a quiet "backwater" of a system with everything running as it should day in and day out, well not on Friday 9th June 1988 it didn't!
The first many knew of a mishap was the sight of the General Manager's Inspection train speeding along the line. 
The scene is Kondo Junction where the mainline from Hiroshima and Osaka on the main island of Honshu meets with the junction for non-electric line to gain Kitisha's local island line from Matsuyama to Shikoku via Kondo! In the late afternoon of the 9th June a Japanese National Railways, (JNR) 8 car series 165 emu ex 1550 from Hiroshima to Takamatsu had gained the Island's mainline and was doing the line speed of 75 mph towards the temple of Kondo and the junction. There is quite a curve as it passes the Temple and its station platform the speed is reduced to 60 mph as it parallels the local line from Shikoku. At the same time a Kitisha Island Railway Company, (KIRC) local 3 car demu comprised of Kiha 40/47 units had stopped at Kondo station on its way to Kochi.
There is on the main line a distant signal before the Kondo curve and a home one at the junction with a route indicator for the branch! The branch itself only has one signal at the junction there is no station signal.
The local was pulling away from Kondo station rounding the curve as the electric express came up parallel and instead of carrying straight on to Takamatsu it took the branch line to Kochi and on the Kondo junction the local collided with the middle of the express!! As a result of this collision 16 people died and 50 were injured including the driver of the Local train!
There were several enquiries but the main enquiry held under the auspices of the Kitisha Island Railway Company and the Japanese National Railways Inspectorate found that human error was the main cause due to long hours of work over several weeks with no compulsory rest days. As a result no railway worker of KIRC or JNR can work more that 10 hours in one shift and must have at least 12 hours in between shifts with a maximum of 13 consecutive days!
So what actually happened then.....? as has already been stated both trains were running their allotted schedules and were running to time, however custom and practice was that the main line trains when on the KIRC's mainline nearing the Kondo curve would usually see the distant signal show a double yellow aspect and that means by the time the Kondo junction signal was sighted it would show a green aspect! Similarly, the local train leaving Kondo station would also have a green aspect to continue on the branch towards Kochi via Kondo Junction!
The signaller at the Kawanoe signalling centre though had set the main line Kondo Junction signal for the branch to Kochi.
The driver of the JNR express passed as usual the double yellow signal before the Kondo Curve expecting the Kondo Junction signal to show the usual green aspect for the mainline! It showed a green aspect but with position indicator lights for the branch line to Kochi! The driver of the express on seeing this incorrect signal immediately made an emergency brake application and cut the power controller but the train's momentum took it onto the junction across the points and onto the branch. Power was cut anyway as the line from the points onto the branch is not electrified the catenary stops there, so this did help slow the train's speed! The train was formed of 8 coaches so the front four were actually on the branch when the local dmu hit the express "amidships"!
The impact of the dmu hitting the emu was enough to derail totally the trailing driving trailer which hit the poplar trees on the side of the line. It was agreed that the trees stopped the coach going over on it's side but of course buckled badly the side of the coach that impacted with them. The no 5 car of the express was also derailed but all the other remaining coaches stayed on the track! The deaths occurred in the middle driving trailer which of course was hit by trees on one side and a train on the other!
The cause of so many deaths on the express which totaled 14 was because the coach was not that crowded and passengers were tossed about injuring themselves fatally on the internal fixtures and fittings!!
Ironically, if the train has been crowded as later ones would be with commuters then the proximity of human bodies would have absorbed impact and left little room for being thrown about the coach!
As far as the local train is concerned it left Kondo station and was accellerating to the line speed of 40 mph at the Junction but again because of the Kondo Curve the driver has limited visibility before the junction hence the speed limit of 40 mph. Yet on this day he did not shut of power until the last minute even though there was a red aspect showing!
Fortunately, the distance from Kondo station to the Kondo Junction is short and he had only got up to about 30 mph then emergency break application so when collision occurred speed was about 20 mph but the combined speed of both trains on impact was approx 55 mph!! The driver of the dmu was trapped in his cab and later died of his injuries not before though giving a statement, also one passenger sitting behind him was killed.
So, what findings of fact, opinion and recommendations were made from all this............
The facts were that both drivers of the trains involved failed to obey incorrect signals in time. The signaller at Kawanoe centre made an operating error. The weather conditions were bright and dry. The operating equipment on both trains was working correctly. The track and points were also working correctly.
The opinion of the Inspector appointed by the KITC/JNR was that human error was to blame caused by fatigue of operating staff not having realistic limits in the hours they worked and appropriate rest between shifts. The physical terrain Of the Island of Kitisha at this location does inhibit the best sightings of signals for Kondo Junction but short of rebuilding an alternative line existing layout will remain. Lower line speed limit perhaps on the main line!
The Inspector recommended that all railway operating staff of companies in the whole of Japan work no more than 10 hours at a time with a minimum of 12 hours between shifts and a maximum working of 13 consecutive days. This maximum is reached then forced rest day. The line speed on the main line between Kondo and Kondo junction be set at 40 mph but no alteration to local line.
All these recommendations were accepted by KIRC and JNR and are now in place.
A memorial is being set up at the spot in remembrance of those 16 people who died. The driver of the express train was sacked and charged with causing death by recklessness on appeal this judgement was cut to manslaughter and he is serving a prison sentence. The driver of the local train was killed and the signaller was similarly charged and is also serving a prison sentence..
However, the biggest decision is that KIRC and JNR were both charged with corporate manslaughter and the charges were upheld now leading the way to private prosecutions for compensation!
Kitisha Island Railways Company are presently consulting their lawyers on maybe settling private claims outside of court.
Clearly, Count Tsugaru Yoshitaka as Chairman of KIRC will be trying to find ways of lessening the burden on his business and fortune by having to pay out millions of Yen in compensation!!
Certainly, any purchasing of new stock has now been put on "the back burner"!
