Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 13 High-Density Transport Systems Supporting Giant Metropolis of Tokyo Mitsuo Shinbo Introduction Old JNR’s Five Commuting Directions JR East’s railway lines extend radially out from the Yamanote Tokyo is a giant metropolis. However, it is difficult to clearly Line in five directions. The development of these routes is define what area is being referred to when we say ‘Tokyo’. outlined below. There are the 23 wards that function as administrative The post-war reconstruction coupled with the high- districts, but if we refer to ‘Tokyo’ as meaning the highly economic-growth period saw a rapid concentration of populated area that is the centre of Japan’s politics and population in the capital area. However, land-price inflation culture, we are talking about a wider area. Counting the area in existing urban areas made purchase of houses difficult from Tokyo Station west to Yokohama City, north to Saitama for ordinary workers, so new house building was focussed City, and east to Chiba City, we reach Greater Tokyo with a in suburban areas. As a result, commuter trains became population of 30 million people, which is closer to what most very congested, and ‘congestion rates’ (expressing actual people think of Tokyo as being. passenger numbers as a ratio to carriage capacity) reached Some people may say that by using this definition of 300% on some sections. Tokyo, the city spreads in a chaotic manner and its borders To alleviate this congestion, in 1964, Japanese National with surrounding cities disappear. One could point out that Railways (JNR) planned new double-track additions to Tokyo is a city lacking the sense of completeness of London existing transport routes from suburban areas to the city and Paris. However, despite having grown to enormous centre (the Tokaido, Sobu, Joban, Tohoku, and Chuo routes). size, Tokyo’s railways, and power and water utilities are well These are the capital area’s so-called ‘five commuting developed and its urban functions well maintained. Ocean directions’. Construction started in 1965 and was finally and air pollution that were social problems in the 1970s completed after almost 20 years in 1983. The foresight of were overcome by later efforts, and now Tokyo has regained this five commuting directions campaign for the capital is clean seas and skies. probably the primary reason why transport continued to The Tokyo area has expanded greatly through its function without collapsing, despite the size to which Tokyo historical background of recovery from the destruction of had grown. war, the high-economic-growth period, and amplification of Part of the campaign involved creating an additional its mission as a world-class urban area. This article looks double-track line between Tokyo and Odawara for the at how the social infrastructure of railways has evolved to Tokaido route. The details are as follows: support the expansion of Greater Tokyo. • Construct new double-track line as underground route between Tokyo and Shinagawa Enhancement of Transport Routes • Divert freight lines to passenger lines between Shinagawa to Shintsurumi marshalling yard Railway Network in Greater Tokyo • Add double-track line on existing freight route The railway network in Greater Tokyo is complex, so it is between Shintsurumi marshalling yard and Tsurumi described here in a general manner. • Construct new double-track line on separate route First, JR East’s Yamanote Line runs in a loop around between Tsurumi and Totsuka the city centre. Also, a very dense subway network runs • Add double-track line on existing route between inside or near the Yamanote Line. The JR East railway Totsuka and Odawara network extends radially out from terminal stations such Figure 1 shows a track chart for the Tokaido route after as Tokyo, Ueno, and Shinjuku on the Yamanote Line loop. construction was completed. Note that lines for JR Central’s Other private railway routes also connect to Yamanote Line Tokaido Shinkansen and the private lines of Odakyu Electric terminal stations in the city centre or run through-services Railway and Tokyu Corporation run west from Tokyo Station. with subways through those nodes to suburban areas. This example makes it easy to imagine the broad-ranging Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 64 • Oct 2014 84 Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 13 Figure 1 Track Chart of Tokaido Route after Completion of Five Directions Campaign Legend For Kanda Freight train Passenger train Tokyo Shiodome For Osaki Shinagawa Yamanote Line Tokyo Freight Terminal Musashino Line For Fuchu-honmachi Shintsurumi Marshalling Yard Tsurumi For Takashima Yokohama Line Yokohama-Hazawa Higashi-kanagawa Yokohama For Sakuragicho Totsuka Negishi Line For Sakuragicho Ofuna Yokosuka Line Hiratsuka For Kurihama Tokaido Main Line Odawara To Kobe 85 Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 64 • Oct 2014 Figure 2 Passenger Flows from Five Directions to Yamanote Line Fiscal 2012 one-day average, Units: passengers/day Detraining Akabane 712,000 passengers Nippori 309 (43%) 372 (52%) 221,000 passengers Detraining 77 (35%) 137 (62%) 71 (13%) Shinjuku Tokyo/Akihabara 524,000 202 (38%) 95 (15%) passengers 145 (28%) 210 (33%) Detraining Detraining 632,000 passengers 219 (35%) 169 (23%) 496 (67%) Shinkansen, etc. Shinagawa Detraining 738,000 passengers Change in number of passengers from Tohoku direction (via Akabane) (10,000) 75 Commuter pass users 50 131.5 130.1 130.7 Detraining Akabane 100.0 49.6 49.1 49.3 493,000 25 37.7 Change in number of passengers passengers from Chuo direction (via Shinjuku) 0 (10,000) 87 10 11 12 FY Change in number of passengers 75 from Joban direction (via Nippori) (10,000) 50 Nippori 75 100.0 115.2 114.2 115.2 228 (46%) 246 (50%) 153,000 passengers 34.5 34.2 34.5 50 25 30.0 Detraining 55 (36%) 25 0 100.0 105.4 103.5 103.7 87 10 11 12 FY Five direction total 10,000 14.8 15.6 15.3 15.3 95 (62%) 0 300 87 10 11 12 FY 48 (14%) 123.7 123.1 123.6 200 Shinjuku 100.0 345,000 128 (37%) 193.3 192.3 193.2 Tokyo/Akihabara 156.2 60 (14%) passengers 100 112 (33%) 145 (34%) Detraining Detraining 0 428,000 87 10 11 12 FY passengers Change in number of passengers 165 (39%) from Chiba direction (via Tokyo/Akihabara) (10,000) 75 113 (22%) 349 (68%) Change in number of passengers 50 121.5 120.8 120.5 from Tokaido direction Shinkansen, etc. 100.0 (via Shinagawa) 17.3 17.1 17.0 Via Tokyo 3 (1%) 13.5 (10,000) Detraining Shinagawa 25 25.9 25.8 25.8 75 512,000 22.0 Via Akihabara passengers 0 132.0 132.7 134.0 87 10 11 12 FY 50 100.0 50.4 50.7 51.2 25 38.2 0 87 10 11 12 FY Notes 1. Figures in parentheses are compared to 1987, with that year indexed as 100. 2. Figures are rounded off, so totals may not add up. 3. Prepared from tables of arriving/departing/transiting passengers. 4. Passenger flow at Shinagawa includes passengers using the Shonan Shinjuku Line. Japan Railway & Transport Review No. 64 • Oct 2014 86 Breakthrough in Japanese Railways 13 transport routes in Greater Tokyo. Currently, there are no subway lines under construction JR East took over the five-direction railway network in the Tokyo area. following the JNR privatization. Figure 2 shows recent passenger flows to the Yamanote Line from the five directions. Creation of New Transport Routes by JR East Even in 1987, there were still sections with congestion rates Development of Subways in excess of 200%, so alleviating congested commuter Trams took the lead in urban areas of Tokyo at the turn of transport remained a major mission for JR East. Measures the 20th century, forming a dense network of tracks shared to convert freight lines from the JNR era to commuter routes with roads. were a major element of the post-privatization improvements However, trams only have a small transport capacity to transport and making use of these hidden JNR assets that soon became inadequate in the post-war era as the helped alleviate congestion. number of automobiles grew in line with the concentration The construction of the Keiyo Line is an example of of functions in the city centre. Construction of subways on creating new transport routes. The line was partly opened dedicated tracks with large transport capacity was urgently in the JNR era and construction was completed in 1990 on needed. Tokyo’s oldest subway is the Ginza Line now reaching Tokyo Station, adding a third line to the Sobu route operated by Tokyo Metro. It opened in 1927 with a section linking Tokyo and Chiba. between Asakusa and Ueno. As subway construction progressed in the post-war era, the tram business declined, Quadruple-Tracking by Major Private Railways disappearing from the city centre in 1972. Tokyo’s other private railways urgently needed to enhance Tokyo’s subways are currently run by two operators. transport capacity to alleviate commuting congestion. Since Tokyo Metro, a special-purpose company funded by the the objective was more to improve services than increase national and Tokyo Metropolitan governments, runs nine revenues, some private railways had a hard time justifying lines. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which started to the investment. To assist them, the national government operate subways after WWII, runs four lines. In addition to passed measures in 1986 providing favourable tax treatment these 13 lines, Saitama Railway runs direct through-services for costs needed to quadruple tracks and make other onto Tokyo Metro’s Nanboku Line and Yokohama City runs improvements to transport capacity.