JR Yamanote Line services to be partly suspended over weekend

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:04 JST, January 5, 2023

Services on the outer loop of JR Yamanote Line trains will be suspended between JR Osaki and JR Ikebukuro stations in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday due to construction work being done at JR Shibuya Station, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) announced.

Services will be reduced on both days on the inner loop as well as on the outer loop outside of the suspended section.

JR East is planning to increase the number of services between Osaki and Shinjuku stations on its Saikyo and Shonan-Shinjuku lines and take other measures to reduce overcrowding. However, the train operator is also calling for people to use alternative transport provided by other railway companies, saying congestion is still expected to occur.

There are two separate platforms for the Yamanote Line at Shibuya Station, one for the inner loop and another for the outer loop. The purpose of the weekend’s construction work is to make the platform for the inner loop accommodate services going both ways. Starting Monday, the platform currently serving the outer loop will be disused.

Major construction work at Shibuya Station began in 2015 and has been carried out step by step for various improvements, such as making transfers more convenient. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in fiscal 2027.