High standards

Regarding “Bullet train backers find Houston support” (Page B1, Wednesday), there have been some expressions of concern about the safety of highspeed rail and in particular there has been a skepticism expressed in some public meetings about the safety of Japanese technology. In my experience, safety is one of the most important attributes of using Japanese rail technology and design resources for this important project.

Over the last 50 years of operations, the safety record of the Japanese bullet train technology is unsurpassed. Furthermore, my personal experience with Japanese rail safety programs gives me full confidence in their rail products. From 2003-2009 I served as the U.S. representative to an international standards organization during preparation of IEC 62267, a standard specifying the safety requirements for the world’s most advanced and fully automated rail transit systems. Through that process, I interacted extensively with the most prestigious safety engineers working in the worldwide transit industry. I found that the Japanese delegation of safety engineers stood head and shoulders above the other national delegations in their overall safety expertise and advanced analysis methodologies.

For that reason, I will gladly trust my own personal safety and that of my family to the highest level of safety design found in Japanese high speed rail systems. J. Sam Lott, Bellaire