The line is named after the black-headed gull (yurikamome in Japanese),[3] a common denizen of Tokyo Bay and the official metropolitan bird.[4]
History
The line was one of two constructed to transport people into the Rinkai subcenter, the other being the Rinkai Line. The Rinkai subcenter was planned to be the seventh subcenter of Tokyo as far back as 1979. In April 1989, the subcenter was projected to have 60,000 residents and 110,000 workers by the start of the 21st century. This plan was revised following the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble. The openings of the Yurikamome and the Rinkai Line in 1995 and 1996 were scheduled to be completed by the start of the World City Expo[ja] in 1996. However, the expo was cancelled by Yukio Aoshima in April 1995.[5] On 1 November 1995, the section between Shimbashi and Ariake opened, using a temporary Shimbashi station. In the first few months of operation, ridership hovered around 27,000 passengers per day.[6]
In 1996, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government re-zoned Odaiba from purely business and residential to also permit entertainment zones. The island provided Tokyo with a livable seaside area, and within one year, ridership doubled to 60,000. As more restaurants, shopping malls, exhibition centers, and museums opened, traffic continued to grow.[6] On 22 March 2001, the current Shimbashi Station opened, and the temporary station closed. Shiodome Station opened on 2 November 2002.[7] On 27 March 2006, the section between Ariake and Toyosu opened, and the stations adopted letter-and-number codes based on Tokyo Metro.[8]
A plan to extend the line to Kachidoki Station had existed since at least 2000, although it was not included in the 2016 list of considered transit routes.[9][10]
Infrastructure
The Yurikamome is Tokyo's first fully automated and driverless transit system, controlled entirely by computers. However, the line is not the first fully driverless transit line in Japan, as the Nagoya Municipal Subway tested such systems in 1960, driverless technology was used during Expo '70 and Kobe's automated Port Island Line opened in 1981.[11][12]
As of 2021[update], eighteen 7300 series sets (31 to 48) are in service, formed as six-car sets as follows.[15]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Designation
Mc1
M2
M3
M4
M5
Mc6
Numbering
7xx1
7xx2
7xx3
7xx4
7xx5
7xx6
("xx" stands for the unit number.)
7500 series
7500 series set 51 in November 2018
As of 11August2024[update], eight 7500 series sets (51 to 58) are in service, formed as six-car sets as below.[14] In November 2020, delivery of the eight six-car sets was completed.[16]
Car No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Designation
Mc1
M2
M3
M4
M5
Mc6
Numbering
7xx1
7xx2
7xx3
7xx4
7xx5
7xx6
("xx" stands for the unit number.)
Riding towards and into the Rainbow Bridge on the Yurikamome with several trains passing in the other direction, 2020
Stations
The letter "U" is used as the symbol for station numbers rather than "Y" for Yurikamome as this letter is already used as the acronym for the Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line.
Ridership on the line peaked at over 200,000 daily boardings in 2000,[17] but declined substantially by 2004 as the Rinkai Line, which opened a year after the Yurikamome, expanded further into the waterfront area and offered lower fares. Between 2004 and 2006, four new stations were added, which raised ridership slightly. As of 2023, daily ridership is roughly 97% of pre-pandemic levels, with patronage shifting to the eastern end of the line.
↑ "鉄道発祥の地「汐留」に、新しい街と新しい駅－都営地下鉄大江戸線、新交通ゆりかもめ「汐留駅」１１月２日に開業－"[A new town and a new station in Shiodome, the birthplace of railways: Toei Oedo Line, New Transit Yurikamome “Shiodome Station” Opens November 2nd]. kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp. 12 July 2002. Archived from the original on 15 October 2002. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
↑ Terada, Hirokazu (19 January 2013). データブック日本の私鉄[Databook: Japan's Private Railways]. Japan: Neko Publishing. pp.216–220. ISBN978-4-7770-1336-4.
↑ "東京臨海新交通 ゆりかもめ メディアロッカー"[Tokyo Rinkai New Transit Yurikamome Media Locker](PDF). Field Media Network. Fmn-inc.co.jp. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 November 2006. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
↑ "移動等円滑化取組報告書（鉄道駅）(FY2019)"[Report on efforts to facilitate smooth travel (Railway stations) (2022)](PDF) (in Japanese). 2019. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
↑ "移動等円滑化取組報告書（鉄道駅）(FY2022)"[Report on efforts to facilitate smooth travel (Railway stations)](PDF) (in Japanese). 2022. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 April 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
↑ "移動等円滑化取組報告書（鉄道駅）"[Report on efforts to facilitate transportation, etc. (railway stations)](PDF) (in Japanese). 2023. Archived from the original(PDF) on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
External links
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