JR West Eliminating Weeds Along Rails with Gingko Leaves; Improving Safety with Leaves Collected from Local Community

By Hiroshi Tachibana / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

11:17 JST, April 6, 2025

HIMEJI, Hyogo — West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) has begun measures to eradicate weeds along rail tacks using fallen gingko leaves in a section of railway in Hyogo Prefecture.

Gingko plants biochemically inhibit the growth of other nearby species of plants. According to JR West, covering other plants with ginkgo leaves also prevents photosynthesis from occurring, further hampering the growth of weeds.

The measure is being conducted by the Kakogawa safety management office of the Himeji transport safety area of JR West. Weeds along rail tracks, if left unattended, can grow to cover important devices such as traffic signal lights and may threaten the safe operation of trains. Thus, railway companies need to regularly eradicate weeds.

Tetsuro Nagahama, chief of the Kakogawa office, learned of the benefits of ginkgo leaves to eradicate weeds and decided to try them out near the railroad tracks. Experiments confirmed that covering areas with ginkgo leaves has a long-term effect in suppressing the growth of weeds.

In December, practical use of the method began in the safety management office’s jurisdiction. By mid-February, gingko leaves had been laid out at four locations along the Sanyo Line in Kakogawa and Takasago.

The volume of gingko leaves needed to cover one square meter is about half the capacity of a garbage bag. Nagahama said the leaves were collected by asking for cooperation from schools and temples in the prefecture with gingko trees.

“I want to proceed along with the collaboration of local communities,” Nagahama said.

The office’s efforts have attracted the attention of other railway operators, with Keihan Electric Railway currently verifying the effectiveness of the system. Inspection requests and inquiries from JR East, JR Kyushu and Kobe Electric Railway Co. have also been received.