Shiga: Yellow Inspection Train Appears Which Will Also Accept Passenger Rides

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:21 JST, October 4, 2025

HIKONE, Shiga — A yellow track inspection train that will also accept passenger rides is set to debut on a railway that runs through eastern Shiga Prefecture.

The Ohmi Railway, also known as Gachakon for the sounds the trains make while running, is hoping that the train named Doctor Gachakon will capitalize on the popularity of the Shinkansen’s Doctor Yellow inspection train.

Saitama Prefecture-based Seibu Railway Co., the railway’s parent company, provided the train, which has inspection equipment installed in the driver’s cabin. Two video cameras capture the direction of travel and film the tracks along with a Global Positioning System (GPS). The video is analyzed using AI while the train is in motion to detect abnormalities such as track distortion.

The railway has been running for over 120 years and operates services that link 33 stations in cities that include Hikone and Omi-Hachiman. However, declining passenger numbers have caused it to run at a loss since fiscal 1994.

Due to long-standing financial difficulties, the company did not own an inspection vehicle, so track inspections were conducted by employees walking the tracks. The decision to introduce the inspection vehicle came in anticipation of future staffing shortages.