The is a
subway line in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan, operated by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
The , also known as , is a bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government which operates public transport services in Tokyo. Among its services, the Toei Subway is one of two rapid transit systems which make up the Tokyo subway system, the other ...
(Toei). It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals
Heisei
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
12. The line is completely underground, making it the second-longest railway tunnel in Japan after the
Seikan Tunnel
The Seikan Tunnel ( ja, 青函トンネル, or , ), is a dual-gauge railway tunnel in Japan, with a portion under the seabed of the Tsugaru Strait, which separates Aomori Prefecture on the main Japanese island of Honshu from the northern isl ...
.
On maps and signboards, the line is shown in magenta (
O). Stations carry the letter "E" followed by a two-digit number inside a more pinkish ruby circle ().
Overview
The Ōedo Line is the first Tokyo subway line to use
linear motor propulsion (and the second in Japan after the
Osaka Metro Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line), which allows it to use smaller cars and smaller tunnels (a benefit similarly achieved by the
Advanced Rapid Transit system manufactured by
Bombardier). This technology, though, is incompatible with other railway and subway lines, which can only operate with vehicles utilizing conventional
rotary motors, thus preventing Ōedo Line trains from operating
through services A through service is a concept of passenger transport that involves a vehicle travelling between lines, networks or operators on a regularly specified schedule, on which the passenger can remain on board without alighting. It may be in form of eith ...
onto them. Although vehicles with rotary motor propulsion can technically operate on the Ōedo Line, its smaller tunnels and
loading gauge prevents such occurrences, hence making the Ōedo Line the first self-enclosed subway line in Tokyo in over 40 years, and the first such line operated by Toei.
The line is deep (as low as 48 meters below ground at points) through central Tokyo, including three underground crossings of the
Sumida River. Originally budgeted at ¥682.6 billion and 6 years, the construction ended up taking nearly 10 years and estimates of the final cost of construction range from the official ¥988.6 billion to over ¥1,400 billion yen, making it the most expensive subway line ever built.
[都営12号線(大江戸線)環状部事業の評価(総括表)](_blank)
, Toei (Yokohama's
Minato Mirai Line, however, was even costlier if measured per kilometer.)
Ridership projections originally estimated 1 million users daily, a figure scaled down to 820,000 before opening. At the end of 2006, the line was averaging 720,000 passengers/day. However, its ridership has increased by about five percent each year since its opening, following new commercial and residential development around major stations such as Roppongi and Shiodome. According to the
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
The , also known as , is a bureau of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government which operates public transport services in Tokyo. Among its services, the Toei Subway is one of two rapid transit systems which make up the Tokyo subway system, the other ...
, as of June 2009 the Ōedo Line was the fourth most crowded subway line in Tokyo, at its peak running at 178% capacity between
Monzen-Nakachō and
Tsukishima
is a place located in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, in the Sumida River estuary. It is a reclaimed land next to Tsukuda District. The land reclamation completed in 1892, using earth from the dredging work performed to create a shipping channel in Toky ...
stations.
There are plans to extend the Ōedo Line westward from its current western terminus at Hikarigaoka Station through to a new terminus in
Ōizumigakuenchō, 1.5 km north of Ōizumi-gakuen Station (on the
Seibu Ikebukuro Line
The is a railway line of the Japanese private railway operator Seibu Railway. It originates at Ikebukuro Station, a large railway junction in north-western Tokyo, extending to northwest suburbs as far as Tokorozawa, Saitama, and nominally ter ...
) then later towards Higashi-Tokorozawa Station (on the
Musashino Line
The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations ...
). Construction of the first segment to Ōizumigakuenchō is tentatively scheduled for before 2015, and will include the construction of three new stations, temporarily named Doshida station, Ōizumichō station and Ōizumigakuenchō station. Following the awarding of the
2020 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July.
Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...
to Tokyo, there has been speculation regarding the addition of another 2.7 km to the proposed extension in order to extend the line to
Niiza where the shooting range for the Olympics is to be located. A decision regarding this matter is expected in 2015.
Services
The Ōedo Line runs in a loop around central Tokyo before branching out towards Nerima in the western suburbs, meaning the line is shaped like a figure ''6'' lying on its side. It is not a true loop line: trains from the western Hikarigaoka terminus run anticlockwise around the loop and terminate at the intermediate Tochōmae Station facing towards Hikarigaoka, and vice versa. The arrangement is very much like the
London Underground Circle Line since 2009, but does not share any track segments with other lines.
The full 40.7 km trip from Tochōmae around the loop and onward to Hikarigaoka takes 81 minutes. Trains operate once every three to five minutes during rush hours, and once every six minutes during off-peak weekday hours, weekends and holidays.
Station list
All stations are located in Tokyo.
Rolling stock
*
Toei 12-000 series 8-car EMU trainsets
Oedo Line trains are housed and maintained at the Kiba depot, located underneath Kiba Park to the southeast of
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Station. Prior to the completion of the Oedo Line loop in 2000, servicing was performed at a depot near
Hikarigaoka Station
is a subway station on the Toei Ōedo Line in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway.
Lines
Hikarigaoka Station is the terminus of the Toei Ōedo Line. It is numbered E-38.
Station layout
The station is the wester ...
.
Major overhaul work for Oedo Line trains is performed at the Magome depot, located south of
Nishi-Magome Station on the
Toei Asakusa Line
The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta and in Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes.
The Asa ...
. Oedo Line trains access this facility using a connecting tunnel to the Asakusa Line near
Shiodome Station
is a railway station in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It serves as an interchange for the Toei Ōedo Line (E-19) and Yurikamome (U-02).
Line
*Yurikamome
*Toei Ōedo Line
Station layout
Both parts of the station are not directly linked to one another.
...
. Because of differences in infrastructure and technology used preventing trains on either line from accessing the other, a special
Toei Class E5000 locomotive powers these ferry runs during overnight hours when the subway is closed.
History
The Ōedo Line was first proposed in 1968 as an incomplete loop line from Shinjuku around northern and eastern Tokyo to Azabu. This plan was amended in 1972 to complete the loop back to Shinjuku, extend it to Hikarigaoka and add a
spur line
A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line.
Industrial spur
An industr ...
to
Mejiro from the northern side. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government undertook construction of the line, which was initially called .
The first segment from Hikarigaoka to Nerima began operations on December 10, 1991. The line was extended from Nerima to Shinjuku on December 19, 1997, and later from Shinjuku to Kokuritsu-Kyōgijō on April 20, 2000.
With this extension,
Shintaro Ishihara
was a Japanese politician and writer who was Governor of Tokyo from 1999 to 2012. Being the former leader of the radical right Japan Restoration Party, he was one of the most prominent ultranationalists in modern Japanese politics. An ultra ...
, the governor of Tokyo, named the line "Toei Oedo Line", where ''Oedo'' literally means "Great
Edo", a reference to Tokyo's former name. As was the case with earlier lines, the public was initially polled to select a name; however, Ishihara rejected the chosen name, , on the grounds that it would not initially form a complete loop, and that calling it such would cause confusion with the
Yamanote Line
The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...
and the
Osaka Loop Line
The is a railway loop line in Japan operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). It encircles central Osaka.
Part of a second, proposed outer loop line, the Osaka Higashi Line, from Hanaten to Kyuhoji was opened on March 15, 2008, an ...
.
The full line began operation on December 12, 2000. An additional station (Shiodome Station) was opened on November 2, 2002 to connect to the
Yurikamome
, formerly the , is an automated guideway transit service operated by ''Yurikamome, Inc.'', connecting Shimbashi to Toyosu, via the artificial island of Odaiba in Tokyo, Japan, a market in which it competes with the Rinkai Line.
The line is na ...
guideway transit line. Following the addition of Shiodome, the automated announcements in the trains were changed to advertise businesses and facilities near each station, a first in Tokyo (although this was already the practice on the municipal subways of Osaka and Nagoya).
Future plans
Starting on 18 January 2023, car 4 on all services on the Oedo line will be designated as a
women-only car
Women-only passenger cars are railway or subway cars intended for women only. They are a result of sexual segregation in some societies, but also can result from attempts to reduce sexual harassment and assault such as groping.
Africa
Egy ...
in a bid by the railway operator to reduce sexual assaults onboard trains. The restriction is set to be in effect during the
morning peak hour.
Notes
a. Crowding levels defined by the
:
:100% — Commuters have enough personal space and are able to take a seat or stand while holding onto the straps or hand rails.
:150% — Commuters have enough personal space to read a newspaper.
:180% — Commuters must fold newspapers to read.
:200% — Commuters are pressed against each other in each compartment but can still read small magazines.
:250% — Commuters are pressed against each other, unable to move.
See also
*
List of railway lines in Japan
*
London Underground Circle Line ,
Bangkok MRT Blue Line and
Hamburg U3
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
, three metro lines with similar arrangements
References
External links
Toei Transportation Information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toei Oedo Line
Oedo
Oedo is an island of Geoje city, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. It is a marine western-style botanical garden in Hallyeohaesang National Park, built by Lee Chang-ho and his wife when they settled on the island in 1969. It was the setting of th ...
Railway loop lines
Standard gauge railways in Japan
Railway lines opened in 1991
1991 establishments in Japan