Tokyo subway

The Tokyo subway (東京の地下鉄, Tōkyō no chikatetsu) is a part of the extensive rapid transit system that consists of Tokyo Metro and the Toei Subway in the Greater Tokyo area of Japan. While the subway system itself is largely within the city center, the lines extend far out via extensive through services onto suburban railway lines.

See also: Transport in Greater Tokyo
Tokyo subway

Top: The logos of the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway
Bottom: Toei 6300 series (left) and Tokyo Metro 10000 series (right) trains at Musashi-Kosugi Station
Overview
LocaleTokyo, Japan
Transit typeRapid transit
Number of lines13
Number of stations285
Daily ridershipTokyo Metro：7.579 million（2018）
Toei Subway：3.207 million（2018）[1]
Operation
Began operationDecember 30, 1927
Operator(s)Tokyo Metro, Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei)
Technical
System length304.1 km (189.0 mi)
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), 1,435 mm for Ginza, Marunouchi, Toei Asakusa & Toei Ōedo Lines, 1,372 mm for Toei Shinjuku Line
System map

Networks

There are two primary subway operators in Tokyo:

As of 2015, the combined subway network of the Tokyo and Toei metros comprises 278 stations and 13 lines covering a total system length of 304.1 kilometers (189.0 mi). The Tokyo Metro and Toei networks together carry a combined average of over eight million passengers daily.[4] Despite being ranked first in worldwide subway usage, subways make up a small fraction of heavy rail rapid transit in Tokyo alone—only 274 out of 882 railway stations, as of 2007.[5] The Tokyo subway at 8.7 million daily passengers only represents 22% of Tokyo's 40 million daily rail passengers (see Transport in Greater Tokyo).[6] Other urban commuter rail systems include Keihin Electric Express Railway, Keio Corporation, Keisei Electric Railway, Odakyu Electric Railway, Seibu Railway, Tobu Railway and Tokyu Corporation.

Line colorSignLine numberLineJapanese
Toei Subway
RoseLine 1Asakusa Line浅草線
BlueLine 2Mita Line三田線
LeafLine 3Shinjuku Line新宿線
MagentaLine 4Ōedo Line大江戸線
Tokyo Metro
OrangeLine 5Ginza Line銀座線
RedLine 6Marunouchi Line丸ノ内線
Marunouchi Line Branch Line丸ノ内線分岐線
SilverLine 7Hibiya Line日比谷線
Sky Blue Line 8Tōzai Line東西線
GreenLine 9Chiyoda Line千代田線
GoldLine 10Yūrakuchō Line有楽町線
PurpleLine 11Hanzōmon Line半蔵門線
EmeraldLine 12Namboku Line南北線
BrownLine 13Fukutoshin Line副都心線

In addition, but not formally designated as subways:

  • The Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (TWR) operates a single mostly-underground line with eight stations, and 200,200 daily passengers in 2010.[7]
  • The Saitama Rapid Railway Line, which is essentially an extension of the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, operates a single mostly-underground line with eight stations.
  • The Tōyō Rapid Railway Line, which is essentially an extension of the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line, operates a single underground/elevated line with nine stations.
  • The Yamanote Line is not a subway line, but a surface commuter loop line which operates with metro-like frequencies. It is owned by JR East. It acts as a key transportation artery in central Tokyo, and is often marked on Tokyo subway maps.

The Yokohama Subway and the Minatomirai Line also operate in the Greater Tokyo Area, but they are not directly connected to the Tokyo subway network. However, direct through services from the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line regularly run into Yokohama's Minatomirai Line via the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line railway. On special occasions, typically around holidays, the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Namboku Line operate special Minatomirai (みなとみらい号?), formerly known as Yokohama Mirai (横浜みらい号?), direct through services to the Minatomirai Line.

History
The history of Tokyo Subway
  • 1915: Japan's first underground railway opened under Tokyo Station. It was only for the railway post office, not for passengers.
  • 1927: Tokyo Underground Railway Co., Ltd. (東京地下鉄道株式会社, Tōkyō Chika Tetsudō Kabushiki Gaisha) opened Japan's first underground line of the subway Ginza Line on December 30, 1927, and publicized as "the first underground railway in the Orient." The distance of the line was only 2.2 km between Ueno and Asakusa.
  • 1938: Tokyo Rapid Transit Railway Co., Ltd. (東京高速鉄道株式会社, Tōkyō Kōsoku Tetsudō Kabushiki Gaisha) opened its subway system between Aoyama 6-chome (present-day Omotesando) and Toranomon.
  • 1939: Tokyo Rapid Transit Railway extended its line from Toranomon to Shimbashi, and started an reciprocal operation with Tokyo Underground Railway.
  • 1941: During World War II, the two subway companies merged under the name Teito Rapid Transit Authority (帝都高速度交通営団, Teito Kōsokudo Kōtsu Eidan) by the local government.
  • 1954: The Marunouchi Line, the first subway line after World War II, opened between Ikebukuro and Ochanomizu.
  • 1960: Toei Subway Line 1, present-day Toei Asakusa Line, opened between Oshiage and Asakusa.
  • 1991: The Tokyo Metro Namboku Line opens.
  • 1995: On March 20, the Tokyo subway sarin attack occurred on the Marunouchi, Hibiya, and Chiyoda Lines during the morning rush hour. Over 5,000 people were injured and 13 people were killed. All three lines ceased operation for the whole day.
  • 2004: Teito Rapid Transit Authority was privatized and renamed Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
  • 2008: The Fukutoshin Line opened.

System administration

Both the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway systems are closely integrated with a unified system of line colors, line codes, and station numbers. However, the separate administration of metro systems has some ramifications:

  • For single rides across Metro and Toei systems, a special transfer ticket is required. It costs 70 yen less than the sum of the Metro fare and the Toei fare, calculated based on the shortest possible route between the origin and destination stations.[8] The Passnet system simplified such ticketing problems, by allowing one stored-fare card to be used on most of the rail operators in the Greater Tokyo Area (with the noticeable exception of JR East which continued to use its own Suica system). The new Pasmo system was introduced in 2007 and completely replaced the Passnet in 2008, finally allowing for one unified stored fare system for most of the Tokyo transit system, including JR East. The fare charged by the stored fare system may be slightly less than for users of paper tickets, as fares are calculated in ¥1 increments on stored fare cards whereas paper tickets are calculated at ¥10 increments.
  • The systems represent the metro network differently in station, train, and customer information diagrams. For example, the Toei map represents the Toei Ōedo Line as a circle in the centre, whereas the Tokyo Metro's map saves the central ring line for the Marunouchi Line and the JR Yamanote Line. As well, each system's lines are generally rendered with thicker lines on their respective system maps.

Reciprocal operation

As is common with Japanese subway systems, many above-ground and underground lines in the Greater Tokyo Area operate through services with the Tokyo Metro and Toei lines. In a broader sense they are considered a part of the Tokyo subway network, allowing it to reach farther out into the suburbs.

Tokyo Metro 6000 series and Odakyu 60000 series MSE Romancecar EMUs at Yoyogi-Uehara

Tokyo Metro
LineThrough lines
HHibiya LineTobu Skytree Line and Tōbu Nikkō Line (Kita-Senju to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen and Minami-Kurihashi)
TTōzai LineJR East Chūō-Sōbu Line (Chūō Main Line) (Nakano to Mitaka)
JR East Chūō-Sōbu Line (Sōbu Main Line) (Nishi-Funabashi to Tsudanuma)
Toyo Rapid Line (Nishi-Funabashi to Tōyō-Katsutadai)
CChiyoda LineOdakyu Odawara Line and Odakyu Tama Line (Yoyogi-Uehara to Karakida and Hon-Atsugi)
JR East Jōban Line (Ayase to Toride)
YYūrakuchō LineTōbu Tōjō Line (Wakōshi to Shinrinkōen)
Seibu Yūrakuchō Line via the Seibu Ikebukuro Line (Kotake-Mukaihara Station to Hannō)
ZHanzōmon LineTōkyū Den-en-toshi Line (Shibuya to Chūō-Rinkan)
Tobu Skytree Line, Tōbu Nikkō Line and Tobu Isesaki Line (Oshiage to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Minami-Kurihashi and Kuki)
NNamboku LineTokyu Meguro Line (Meguro to Hiyoshi)
Saitama Rapid Railway Line (Akabane-Iwabuchi to Urawa-Misono)
FFukutoshin LineTobu and Seibu line (same stations served as the Yūrakuchō Line)
Minatomirai Line via Tōkyū Tōyoko Line (Shibuya to Motomachi-Chūkagai)

Toei Subway
LineThrough lines
AAsakusa LineKeikyu Kurihama Line and Keikyu Airport Line both via the Keikyu Main Line (Sengakuji to Haneda Airport (Tokyo International Airport) or Misakiguchi)
Keisei Oshiage Line, Keisei Main Line, Hokuso Railway Line, Keisei Higashi-Narita Line and Shibayama Railway Line (Oshiage to Narita Airport, Inba-Nihon-Idai or Shibayama-Chiyoda)
IMita LineTokyu Meguro Line (Meguro to Hiyoshi)
SShinjuku LineKeio New Line and Keio Sagamihara Line both via the Keiō Line (Shinjuku to Hashimoto or Takaosanguchi)

Rolling stock
Main article: Tokyo subway rolling stock

1995 sarin attack
Main article: Tokyo subway sarin attack

In 1995, Aum Shinri Kyo, a doomsday cult, attacked the subway system with sarin nerve gas at Kasumigaseki Station and a few others, leading to 13 deaths and over 5,000 people injured.

See also

References
  1. "関東交通広告協議会　各社・各駅・乗降人員・通貨人員・輸送人員（2018年度1日平均）" (PDF). 関東交通広告協議会. October 2019.
  2. "Corporate Information = Business Contents - Transportation Services - Business Situation". Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. March 31, 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  3. 東京都交通局ホーム - 経営情報 - 交通局の概要 - 都営地下鉄 [Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Home - Management Information - Overview of the Department of Transportation - Toei Subway] (in Japanese). 東京都交通局 [Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation]. April 1, 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  4. "Subways keep Tokyo on the move". Japan Today. Archived from the original on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-01-24.
  5. 【平成19年版】緯度経度付き全国沿線別駅データ - 地図センターネットショッピング (in Japanese).
  6. 平成17年 大都市交通センサス 第10回 [2005 Metropolitan transportation census (10th)] (PDF) (in Japanese). 国土交通省 総合政策局 交通計画課 [Land, Infrastructure and Transportation Ministry, Transport Policy Bureau]. March 30, 2007. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  7. http://www.twr.co.jp/enterprise/gaiyou_h22_final_outline.pdf
  8. Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. "Toei Subway Information - How to Ride the Subway". Archived from the original on 2010-03-27. Retrieved 2008-06-25.

Further reading
  • Gibson, William (1999). All Tomorrow's Parties. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-14579-6.
  • Wolf, Michael (2010). Tokyo Compression. Hong Kong & Berlin: Asia One Books & Peperoni Books. ISBN 978-3-941825-08-6.
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