Platform integration work begins at Shibuya Station

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:04 JST, January 7, 2023

JR Shibuya Station in Tokyo will have one platform for both the inner and outer loops of the Yamanote Line, rather than the current separate platforms, upon completion of construction work that began on Friday night.

While the work is in progress, services on the Yamanote Line’s outer loop, which runs clockwise around the central areas of the metropolis, are suspended between Osaki and Ikebukuro stations on Saturday and Sunday. They will resume from the first train on Monday.

About 4,000 workers in total have been assigned to the project, which is planned to be completed early Monday morning, according to East Japan Railway Co. (JR East).

The current inner loop platform will be widened by up to about 3.2 meters after the outer loop tracks are shifted sideways by up to 2.7 meters.

On Saturday morning, a large team of workers inserted long metal bars into the outer loop tracks and levered them into a new position, little by little, to the rhythm of a work chant.