Tokyo plans new subway line linking waterfront and Ginza | #AsiaNewsNetwork

Tokyo plans new subway line linking waterfront and Ginza | #AsiaNewsNetwork
(Photo: Railway Gazette)
(Photo: Railway Gazette)
Published 4 April 2019

(Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN) — The Tokyo metropolitan government is considering building a new subway line that would connect waterfront areas to the Ginza district and other areas in the heart of the city, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

 

The new line would run close to the former site of Tsukiji Market in Chuo Ward, which is expected to undergo significant redevelopment, and high-rise condominiums being built in the Harumi and Kachidoki districts.

The metropolitan government intends to put together a specific construction plan this fiscal year, aiming to open the line in 10 to 20 years.

In the future, the line could be linked to the Tsukuba Express (TX), which connects Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures with central Tokyo, and other lines to carry passengers all the way to Haneda Airport.

Tokyo’s last new subway line was the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line, which opened in 2008.

The metropolitan government wants to improve transportation convenience between central Tokyo and the rapidly developing waterfront districts in a bid to spark new growth.

Several sources said the government is considering a line that would run for about five kilometers from the Ginza district to Kokusai-Tenjijo Station on Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Inc.’s Rinkai Line.

The line would have around five stations and pass by the former site of Tsukiji Market; the Harumi and Kachidoki districts, where developments including the athletes’ village for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics are underway; and the new Toyosu Market.

The athletes’ village development is slated to be sold as condominiums after the Games.

The metropolitan government estimates the new line would see about 50,000 passengers per day and cost more than 250 billion yen to build.

East Japan Railway Co. has announced that the waterfront route of its planned Haneda Airport Access Line will connect to the Rinkai Line. An extension of TX, which links Ibaraki, Chiba and Saitama prefectures to Akihabara Station, to Tokyo Station is under consideration.

Connecting these lines to the new subway would directly link Ibaraki and Chiba prefectures to Haneda Airport.

“A new line would dramatically increase Tokyo’s international competitiveness,” a senior metropolitan official said. 

http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0005651134