JRTT investigates concrete testing at Hokkaido rail tunnel
Japan’s rail construction agency is checking the strength of concrete already used in the Futatsumori Tunnel after three falsified water-content tests.
- The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT) is investigating the falsification of concrete water content tests at the Futatsumori Tunnel, part of the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension.
- Workers for a construction consortium led by Tekken Corp. interfered with testing equipment on three occasions to make the concrete appear to meet durability standards.
- JRTT is now assessing the strength of the concrete already in place, which may affect the project's opening schedule, while the lead contractor has apologized for the misconduct.
Workers building the Futatsumori Tunnel interfered with equipment used to measure the water content of concrete on three occasions, making the readings appear to meet the required standard, Japan’s railway construction authority said on Tuesday (July 21).
The tunnel is being built by a four-company consortium headed by Tekken Corp. as part of the planned Hokkaido Shinkansen extension.
The new section will run from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in Hokuto to Sapporo Station in Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northernmost prefecture.
The Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT), the government-affiliated body overseeing the extension, uncovered the misconduct after one of its officials witnessed a test on June 12.
An investigation ordered by the agency subsequently found that similar manipulation had occurred in early December last year and early February this year.
JRTT described the wrongdoing as “very regrettable”.
Water content is measured as an indicator of concrete durability.
JRTT is now assessing whether the concrete already placed in the tunnel has any strength-related problems, while the possible effect on the extended section’s opening timetable remains unclear.
The agency said its examination of other contracts connected with the Hokkaido Shinkansen extension had uncovered no comparable irregularities.
Tekken apologised on Tuesday, calling the misconduct “a serious incident that undermines the credibility of quality control tests”.
The company said it would determine why the falsification occurred and introduce comprehensive safeguards against any recurrence.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
