Train automatic stopping controller

TASC unit beneath a Tōkyū 7000 series EMU

TASC transponders at a railway station in Japan

A Train automatic stopping controller (定位置停止装置) (TASC), is a train protection system currently used only in Japan. It allows trains equipped with TASC to stop automatically at stations without the need for the train operator to operate the brakes manually.

TASC was originally developed in the 1950s and 1960s as a way of ensuring that trains stop properly at stations, especially if the driver has made a minor driving lapse and stopped with a slight overrun/underrun, which can prove to be an inconvenience for passengers, particularly if the first or last door is partially (or, in rare cases, completely) outside the station. It has also been useful at preventing SPADs. TASC is also compatible with automatic train operation (ATO) and automatic train control (ATC).

Usage

The TASC system is used on the following lines.

• Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
• Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (including Hōnanchō branch)
• Tōkyū Meguro Line
• Tōkyū Ikegami Line
• Tōkyū Tamagawa Line
• Tokyu Toyoko Line
• Aonami Line
• Osaka Municipal Subway Imazatosuji Line
• Seibu Yūrakuchō Line (at Kotake-mukaihara Station)
• Keihan Keishin Line (at Misasagi Station)

In addition, the JR East Yamanote Line is expected to be TASC-ready by 2017.

External links

• TASC article by Toshihiko Itō