Tokyo Metro

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Tokyo Metro
Tokyo Metro combined logo.svg
Overview
Native name東京メトロ
Tōkyō Metoro
OwnerTokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
(public kabushiki gaisha controlled by the Government of Japan (26.71%) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (23.29%); traded as TYO: 9023)
Locale Greater Tokyo Area, Japan
Transit type Rapid transit
Number of lines9 [1]
Number of stations180 [1]
Daily ridership6.52 million (FY2023) [2]
Website Tokyo Metro
Operation
Began operation30 December 1927;97 years ago (30 December 1927) as Tokyo Underground Railway
(1941;84 years ago (1941) as Teito Rapid Transit Authority; 2004;21 years ago (2004) under current name)
Operator(s)Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
Number of vehicles2,773 cars (2012) [1]
Technical
System length195.1 km (121.2 mi) [1]
Track gauge 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge (Ginza & Marunouchi lines)
Electrification 1,500 V DC overhead catenary
600 V DC   third rail (Ginza & Marunouchi lines)
Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)
100 km/h (62 mph) (Tōzai Line)
65 km/h (40 mph) (Ginza Line)
75 km/h (47 mph) (Marunouchi Line)
System map

Tokyo metro map ja - Tokyo Metro lines.png
Tokyo Metro lines (Other railway lines are shown as thin lines.)

Contents

The Tokyo Metro (Japanese : 東京メトロ, romanized: Tōkyō Metoro) is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.52 million passengers (as of 2023), the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city, the other being the Toei Subway, with 2.85 million average daily rides. [2] [3]

Organization

The old TRTA logo, a stylized roundel in the shape of an "S" was introduced in 1953, adopted as TRTA's corporate logo in 1960 and used until 2004. TRTA logo.svg
The old TRTA logo, a stylized roundel in the shape of an "S" was introduced in 1953, adopted as TRTA's corporate logo in 1960 and used until 2004.
Head office of Tokyo Metro near Ueno Station, one of the first stations of the network Tokyo Metro Office Building.jpg
Head office of Tokyo Metro near Ueno Station, one of the first stations of the network

Tokyo Metro is operated by the Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. (東京地下鉄株式会社, Tōkyō Chikatetsu kabushiki-gaisha), a joint-stock company jointly owned by the Government of Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

The company, founded as a part of then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's policy of converting statutory corporations into joint-stock companies, replaced the Teito Rapid Transit Authority ( 帝都高速度交通営団 , Teito Kōsokudo Kōtsū Eidan, lit. "Imperial Capital [a] Highspeed Transportation Management Foundation"), commonly known as Eidan or TRTA, on April 1, 2004. [4] TRTA was administered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and jointly funded by the national and metropolitan governments. It was formed in 1941 as a part-nationalization of the Tokyo Underground Railway and Tokyo Rapid Railway (now both form the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line), although its oldest lines date back to 1927 with the opening of the Tokyo Underground Railway the same year. Upon its establishment, the TRTA's legal form was a "management foundation" (経営財団, keiei zaidan, abbreviated to and hence eidan ( 営団 )), a form of entity established by the government of the wartime cabinet of the Empire of Japan with both public and private sector investments. Private sector investments to the TRTA were prohibited in 1951 when it was converted into an ordinary statutory corporation. In 2024, the company made its initial public offering, raising $2.3 billion in what became Japan's biggest IPO since 2018. [5]

The other major subway operator is Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei Subway) which is owned solely by the government of Tokyo. Tokyo Metro and Toei trains form completely separate networks, although Tokyo Metro Namboku Line and Toei Mita Line share the same track between Meguro Station and Shirokane-takanawa Station. Users of prepaid rail passes and Suica/Pasmo smart cards can freely interchange between the two networks (as well as other rail companies in the area), but fares are assessed separately for legs on each of these systems and regular ticket holders must purchase a second ticket, or a special transfer ticket, to change from a Toei line to a Tokyo Metro line and vice versa. Though, most Tokyo Metro (and Toei) line offer through service to lines outside of central Tokyo run by other carriers, and this can somewhat complicate the ticketing.

Much effort has been made to make the system accessible to non-Japanese speaking users:

Many stations are also designed to help blind people as railings often have Braille at their base, and raised yellow rubber guide strips are used on flooring throughout the network.

Tokyo Metro stations began accepting contactless (RFID) Pasmo stored value cards in March 2007 to pay fares, and the JR East Suica system is also universally accepted. Both these passes also can be used on surrounding rail systems throughout the area and many rail lines in other areas of Japan. Due to the complexity of the fare systems in Japan, most riders converted to these cards very quickly even though there is an additional charge to issue it.

The Tokyo Metro is extremely punctual and has regular trains arriving 3 to 6 minutes apart most of the day and night. However, it does not run 24 hours a day. While through service with other companies complicates this somewhat, the last train generally starts at midnight and completes its service by 00:45 to 01:00, and the first train generally starts at 05:00.

Tokyo Metro also owns a number of commercial developments which mostly consist of shopping developments at major stations. It also owns the Subway Museum near Kasai Station on the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line which opened on July 12, 1986, and features a few retired trains which once operated on the Ginza and Marunouchi Lines as well as a maintenance vehicle and some train simulators.

In 2024, Tokyo Metro was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, debuting as the exchange's largest IPO in six years and with a market capitalization of roughly 1 trillion yen. [5] The Government of Japan and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government each sold half of their shares, with the former using the proceeds to repay bonds funding reconstruction after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. [6] [7]

Overseas affiliates

In 2017, Tokyo Metro opened its affiliate in Hanoi, Vietnam, as part of preparations to be the service operator of Hanoi Metro. [8] [9] The Hanoi Metro opened in 2021. [10]

In November 2024, GTS Rail Operations (a consortium comprising Go-Ahead Group, Tokyo Metro and Sumitomo Corporation) was chosen from four bidders to operate the Elizabeth line in London, England, for seven years from May 2025 with an option to extend for two years. [11] [12]

Future expansion

Tokyo Metro indicated in its public share offering that it would cease line construction once the Fukutoshin Line was completed.[ citation needed ] That line was completed in March 2013 with the opening of the connection with the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line at Shibuya Station, allowing through service as far as Motomachi-Chūkagai Station in Yokohama. There are several lines such as the Hanzōmon Line that still have extensions in their official plans, and in the past, these plans have tended to happen, though often over several decades.

In March 2022, Tokyo Metro received permission to add two new extensions to the network. Under these plans, the Yūrakuchō Line would receive a new branch from Toyosu Station to Sumiyoshi Station with three new stops (including one at Toyocho Station on the Tōzai Line) to better serve the Toyosu urban development zone, and the Namboku Line would receive an extension from Shirokane-Takanawa Station to Shinagawa Station, where it would connect with the Tokaido Shinkansen and the under-construction Chūō Shinkansen in addition to serving the surrounding business district. Both extensions are expected to open in the 2030s. [13] [14] [15] [16]

Fares

Pasmo and Suica are accepted on the Tokyo Metro, as well as on railway stations operated by other companies. Transfers between Tokyo Metro subway lines and Toei Subway lines are usually not free, but a discount is given when using the Pasmo or Suica cards to transfer between lines.

Traffic

According to the company, an average of 6.33 million people used the company's nine subway routes each day in 2009. The company made a profit of ¥63.5 billion in 2009. [17]

Lines

Altogether, the Tokyo Metro is made up of nine lines operating on 195.1 kilometers (121.2 mi) of route. [1]

List of Tokyo Metro lines

Line colorLine iconLine numberNameJapaneseRouteStationsLengthTrain LengthFirst OpenedLast ExtensionDaily ridership (2017) [18] GaugeCurrent supply
OrangeGLine 3 Ginza Line 銀座線 Shibuya to Asakusa 1914.3 km (8.9 mi)6 cars19271939943,6061,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)600 V DC, third rail
RedMLine 4 Marunouchi Line 丸ノ内線 Ogikubo to Ikebukuro 2524.2 km (15.0 mi)195419621,159,898
MbMarunouchi Line
Branch Line
丸ノ内線分岐線 Nakano-Sakaue to Hōnanchō 43.2 km (2.0 mi)3 and 6 cars [b] 1962
SilverHLine 2 Hibiya Line 日比谷線 Naka-Meguro to Kita-Senju 2220.3 km (12.6 mi)7 cars [c] 19611964 [d] 1,213,4921,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)1,500 V DC, overhead supply
Sky BlueTLine 5 Tōzai Line 東西線 Nakano to Nishi-Funabashi 2330.8 km (19.1 mi)10 cars196419691,642,378
GreenCLine 9 Chiyoda Line 千代田線 Yoyogi-Uehara to Ayase 2024.0 km (14.9 mi)10 cars196919781,447,730
Chiyoda Line Branch Line千代田線分岐線 Ayase to Kita-Ayase 22.6 km (1.6 mi)3 and 10 cars [e] 1979
GoldYLine 8 Yūrakuchō Line 有楽町線 Wakōshi to Shin-Kiba 2428.3 km (17.6 mi)10 cars197419881,124,478
PurpleZLine 11 Hanzōmon Line 半蔵門線 Shibuya to Oshiage 1416.8 km (10.4 mi)10 cars197820031,006,682
TealNLine 7 Namboku Line 南北線 Meguro to Akabane-Iwabuchi 1921.3 km (13.2 mi)6 cars and 8 cars19912000522,736
TBANamboku Line
Branch Line
南北線分岐線 Shirokane-Takanawa to Shinagawa 22.5 km (1.6 mi)6 and 8 carsTBA
BrownFLine 13 Fukutoshin Line 副都心線 Wakōshi to Shibuya 1611.9 km (7.4 mi) A 8 cars (local)
10 cars (local or express)
19942008362,654
TBATBALine 14 Toyozumi Line [ citation needed ]豊住線 Toyosu to Sumiyoshi 55.2 km (3.2 mi)10 carsTBA
Total (Subway only – not incl. trackage rights portions):180195.1 km (121.2 mi) 

NNote: Line numbers are for internal usage only and not listed on subway maps. ANote: Excluding the 8.3 km (5.2 mi) stretch between Wakoshi and Kotake-mukaihara shared with Yurakucho Line. [1]

Through services to other lines

All lines except the Ginza and Marunouchi lines have trains that run through line termini onto tracks owned by other companies.

LineThrough Lines
H Hibiya Line TS Tobu Skytree Line

TN Tōbu Nikkō Line (Kita-Senju to Minami-Kurihashi and Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen)

T Tōzai Line JB JR East Chūō-Sōbu Line (Chūō Main Line) (Nakano to Mitaka)
JB JR East Chūō-Sōbu Line (Sōbu Main Line) (Nishi-Funabashi to Tsudanuma)

TR Toyo Rapid Line (Nishi-Funabashi to Tōyō-Katsutadai)

C Chiyoda Line OH Odakyu Odawara Line

OT Odakyu Tama Line (Yoyogi-Uehara to Karakida and Isehara)

JL JR East Jōban Line (Ayase to Toride)
Y Yūrakuchō Line TJ Tōbu Tōjō Line (Wakōshi to Ogawamachi)

SeibuIkebukuro.svg Seibu Ikebukuro Line via the SeibuIkebukuro.svg Seibu Yūrakuchō Line (Kotake-Mukaihara Station to Hannō)

Z Hanzōmon Line DT Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line (Shibuya to Chūō-Rinkan)
TS Tobu Skytree Line

TN Tobu Nikkō Line

TI Tobu Isesaki Line (Oshiage to Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen, Minami-Kurihashi and Kuki)

N Namboku Line SR Saitama Rapid Railway Line (Akabane-Iwabuchi to Urawa-Misono)
MG Tōkyū Meguro Line (Meguro to Hiyoshi), then SH Tōkyū Shin-Yokohama Line (Hiyoshi to Shin-Yokohama), then Sotetsu line symbol.svg Sōtetsu Shin-Yokohama Line (Shin-Yokohama to Nishiya), then Sotetsu line symbol.svg Sōtetsu Main Line (Nishiya to Futamata-gawa to Ebina) or Sotetsu line symbol.svg Sōtetsu Izumino Line (Futamata-gawa to Shōnandai)
F Fukutoshin Line Tōbu and Seibu line (same stations served as the Yūrakuchō Line)
TY Tōkyū Tōyoko Line (Shibuya to Hiyoshi** to Yokohama)

through running to Number prefix Minatomirai.svg Minatomirai Line for Motomachi-Chūkagai

Stations

Typical Tokyo Metro station, with half-height platform doors (Otemachi on the Hanzomon Line) Tokyo-Metro Otemachi-STA Platform7-8.jpg
Typical Tokyo Metro station, with half-height platform doors (Ōtemachi on the Hanzōmon Line)

There are a total of 180 unique stations (i.e., counting stations served by multiple lines only once) on the Tokyo Metro network. [1] [19] Most stations are located within the 23 special wards and fall inside the Yamanote Line rail loop — some wards such as Setagaya and Ōta have no stations (or only a limited number of stations), as rail service in these areas has historically been provided by the Toei Subway or any of the various major private railways (大手私鉄).

Major interchange stations, connecting three or more Tokyo Metro lines, include the following:

Other major stations provide additional connections to other railway operators such as the Toei Subway, JR East, and the various private railways, including (but not limited to) the following:

Depots

NameLocationCurrent assigned fleetFormer assigned fleetLines served
Ueno Taitō, north of Ueno Station 100001, (old) 2000, 1500, 1400, 1300, 100, 1200, 1100, (old) 1000 Ginza
Shibuya Shibuya, west of Shibuya Station None (inspections only)Ginza
Nakano Nakano, south of Nakano-Fujimichō Station 2000, 02, 02-80 (branch line)300, 400, 500, 100 (branch line), (old) 2000 (branch line) Marunouchi
Koishikawa Bunkyō, between Myōgadani Station and Kōrakuen Station None (inspection and renovation only)Ginza, Marunouchi
Senju Arakawa, north of Minami-Senju Station 1300003, 3000 Hibiya
Takenotsuka Adachi, south of Takenotsuka Station 1300003, 3000Hibiya
Fukagawa Kōtō, south of Tōyōchō Station 05, 07, 150005000 Tōzai
Gyōtoku Ichikawa, south of Myōden Station None (inspections only)Tōzai
Ayase Adachi, north of Kita-Ayase Station 16000, 05 (branch line)6000, 06, 5000 (branch line) Chiyoda, Namboku, Yūrakuchō, Saitama Rapid
Wakō Wakō, north of Wakōshi Station 7000, 10000, 17000 (plan) Fukutoshin, Yūrakuchō
Shin-Kiba Kōtō, southeast of Shin-Kiba Station None (inspection and renovation only)Chiyoda, Hanzōmon, Namboku, Tōzai, Yūrakuchō, and Fukutoshin
Saginuma Kawasaki, inside Saginuma Station 08, 8000, 18000 (plan)Hanzōmon
Ōji Kita, north of Ōji-Kamiya Station 9000Namboku

Rolling stock

As of 1 April 2016, Tokyo Metro operates a fleet of 2,728 electric multiple unit (EMU) vehicles, the largest fleet for a private railway operator in Japan. [20]

600 V third rail / 1,435 mm gauge lines

A 1000 series train for Shibuya at Shibuya Station on the Ginza Line Ginza-Line-Series1031.jpg
A 1000 series train for Shibuya at Shibuya Station on the Ginza Line

1,500 V overhead / 1,067 mm gauge lines

Tozai Line 07 series, 05 series, and 5000 series trains Trains of Tozailine.JPG
Tozai Line 07 series, 05 series, and 5000 series trains
A 13000 series train (left) with a 08 series train (right) Tokyo-Metro Series13000 Series08.jpg
A 13000 series train (left) with a 08 series train (right)

Trains from other operators are also used on Tokyo Metro lines as a consequence of inter-running services.

Overcrowding

A sign on the Hibiya Line denoting that cars stopping in this area are for women only during morning peak hours TokyoMetroSignReservedForWomen.jpg
A sign on the Hibiya Line denoting that cars stopping in this area are for women only during morning peak hours

As is common with rail transport in Tokyo, Tokyo Metro trains are severely crowded during peak periods. During the morning peak period, platform attendants (oshiya) are sometimes needed to push riders and their belongings into train cars so that the doors can close. On some Tokyo Metro lines, the first or last car of a train is reserved for women during peak hours.

Network map

Tokyo Metro

See also

References

  1. Teito (帝都) means the "capital of the Empire of Japan" (大日本国の首, Dai Nippon Teikoku no shuto), that is, Tokyo
  2. Through trains to Ikebukuro on the mainline are 6-car trains. Trains terminating at Nakano-Sakaue are 3-car trains.
  3. Hibiya Line trains used 18 m (59 ft 1 in) long 8 car trains with a mixture of 3 or 5 doors per side until March 2017, when 13000 series trainsets were introduced on the Hibiya Line, which utilises longer 20 m (65 ft 7 in) long 7 car trains with 4 doors per side. A 7 car set with 20 m carriages is about the same length of an 8 car set with 18 m carriages.
  4. 56 years after the entire line was opened, the latest intermediate station, Toranomon Hills Station, opened on June 6, 2020.
  5. Through trains to Yoyogi-uehara on the mainline are 10-car trains. Trains terminating at Ayase are 3-car trains.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Business Contents - Transportation Services - Business Situation". Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  2. 1 2 営業状況 [Business Conditions] (in Japanese). 東京地下鉄株式会社 [Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.] Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  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]. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  4. "「営団地下鉄」から「東京メトロ」へ" [From "Teito Rapid Transit Authority" to "Tokyo Metro"]. Tokyo Metro Online. 2006-07-08. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Tokyo Metro: Asia's oldest subway goes public". France 24. 23 October 2024.
  6. "Tokyo Metro surges 47.3% on debut in Japan's biggest IPO in 6 years". Kyodo news. 2024-10-30.
  7. "Tokyo Metro shares surge 45% on debut after Japan's largest IPO in six years". CNBC. 2024-10-30.
  8. Vietnam Tokyo Metro set up to run Hanoi's urban railway
  9. History of Tokyo Metro
  10. Burroughs, David (9 November 2021). "Hanoi opens Vietnam's first metro line". International Railway Journal .
  11. Simpson, Jack (2024-11-20). "Tokyo Metro wins contract to operate London's Elizabeth line". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  12. New operator announced for Elizabeth Line Rail Express issue 344 January 2025 page 10
  13. "Tokyo Metro Receives Approval for Yurakucho and Namboku Line Extensions". International Railway Journal. 2024-10-30.
  14. "Tokyo to Build New Waterfront Metro Line". International Railway Journal. 2024-10-30.
  15. "Tokyo Metro eyes extending 2 subway lines to ease congestion". The Asahi Shimbun. 2024-10-30.
  16. "Tokyo Metro's Namboku Line Extension to Connect Shirokane-Takanawa Station and Shinagawa Station Set to Open in the 2030s". Housing Japan. 2024-10-30.
  17. Martin, Alex (August 3, 2010). "Ubiquitous Tokyo subways moving the daily masses". The Japan Times . p. 3.
  18. Tokyo Metro station ridership in 2017 Train Media (sourced from Tokyo Metro) Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  19. 各駅の乗降人員ランキング [Table of Traffic Performance by Station] (in Japanese). 東京地下鉄株式会社 [Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.] Retrieved 2014-06-07.
  20. 私鉄車両編成表 2016[Private Railway Rolling Stock Formations - 2016] (in Japanese). Japan: Kotsu Shimbunsha. 25 July 2016. p. 213. ISBN   978-4-330-70116-5.
  21. 東京メトロ13000系・東武70000系"日比谷線直通"新型車両の仕様が明らかに! [Tokyo Metro 13000 series and Tobu 70000 series - Details of new trains for Hibiya Line through services announced]. Mynavi News (in Japanese). Japan: Mynavi Corporation. 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.