Metropolitan government to construct new subway line in Tokyo, eying launch in 2040s

The Yomiuri Shimbun

7:00 JST, November 25, 2022

The Tokyo metropolitan government plans to construct a new subway line running from the heart of the capital to waterfront districts, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The subway line will run from Tokyo Station to Ariake with stops planned in districts including Ginza, Tsukiji and Toyosu. The metropolitan government aims to launch operations in the early 2040s on the seven-station line, which is expected to be about 6 kilometer long.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike is expected to announce the project in the near future.

The terminal for the planned line will be a new station northeast of JR Tokyo Station, which will give passengers convenient connections to the Shinkansen and other regional rail networks.

The new subway will pass through the nation’s popular Ginza shopping district and Tsukiji, where redevelopments are underway at the site of the former fish market. It will also pass through the Kachidoki and Harumi area, where a surge in new condominiums has boosted the local population, and Toyosu, home to the country’s largest wholesale market. The line will terminate in Ariake, where the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center is located.

The tentative names for new stations on the line include Shin-Ginza, Shin-Tsukiji, Harumi, Toyosu Market and Ariake Tokyo Big Sight.

East Japan Railway Co. plans to open a new line connecting Haneda Airport to central Tokyo, and part of its line will include waterfront districts. The metropolitan government hopes to connect its new subway line to JR East’s planned Haneda Airport Access Line.

The waterfront area is home to Tokyo 2020 Games venues and the athletes village. The metropolitan government formulated a plan in March to redevelop the area to reflect the legacy of the Games, with plans to create a development base for cutting-edge technologies such as hydrogen energy, “flying cars” and fuel cell ships,

The construction of the new subway line is part of the metropolitan government’s plan to improve the transportation infrastructure, with the aim of developing the waterfront into an area that will attract people and investment from around the world.

The new subway project is expected to cost about ¥500 billion. Tokyo is planning to begin construction around 2030 and expects the line to be profitable within 30 years of its launch.