The Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line (東京メトロ有楽町線, Tōkyō Metoro Yūrakuchō-sen) is a subway line in Japan owned and operated by Tokyo Metro. The line connects Wakōshi Station in Wakō, Saitama and Shin-Kiba Station in Kōtō, Tokyo. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color "gold", and its stations are given numbers using the letter "Y".
| Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
 A Yūrakuchō Line 17000 series train | |||
| Overview | |||
| Other name(s) | Y | ||
| Native name | 東京メトロ有楽町線 | ||
| Owner |  Tokyo Metro | ||
| Line number | 8 | ||
| Locale | Tokyo | ||
| Termini | |||
| Stations | 24 | ||
| Color on map | Gold (#C1A470) | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Rapid transit | ||
| System | Tokyo Subway | ||
| Operator(s) | Tokyo Metro | ||
| Depot(s) | Wakō, Shin-Kiba | ||
| Rolling stock | Tokyo Metro 10000 series Tokyo Metro 17000 series Seibu 6000 and 6050 series Seibu 40000 and 40050 series Tobu 9000 and 9050 series Tobu 50070 series Tokyu 5050-4000 series (less commonly used) | ||
| Daily ridership | 1,124,478[1] | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 30 October 1974 | ||
| Last extension | 8 June 1988 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 28.3 km (17.6 mi) | ||
| Number of tracks | Double-track | ||
| Track gauge | 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | ||
| Minimum radius | 150 m (490 ft) | ||
| Electrification | 1,500 V DC (overhead line) | ||
| Operating speed | 80 km/h (50 mph) | ||
| Train protection system | New CS-ATC, ATO | ||
| Maximum incline | 3.5% | ||
| |||
The line was named after the Yūrakuchō business district in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The proper name as given in an annual report of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is Line No. 8 Yūrakuchō Line (8号線有楽町線, Hachi-gō-sen Yūrakuchō-sen).[2] According to the Tokyo urban transportation plan, however, it is more complicated. The line number assigned to the section south from Kotake-Mukaihara to Shin-Kiba is Line 8, but that north of Kotake-Mukaihara to Wakōshi is Line 13, which indicates the section is a portion of Fukutoshin Line which shares the same number.[citation needed]
Services
The Yurakucho Line has inter-running counterparts on its northern side, both of which are "major" Japanese private railway companies in Greater Tokyo. One is the Tobu Railway at Wakōshi, north to Shinrin-kōen. The other is the Seibu Railway at Kotake-Mukaihara with its bypass line Seibu Yūrakuchō Line connecting to its main Ikebukuro Line, through trains north to Kotesashi or Hannō.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, as of June 2009 the Yurakucho Line is the fifth most crowded subway line in Tokyo, at its peak running at 173% capacity between Higashi-Ikebukuro and Gokokuji stations.[3]
Semi-express (準急) services ran on the Yurakucho Line between June 14, 2008 and March 6, 2010, operating twice hourly between Wakōshi and Shin-Kiba. Between Wakōshi and Ikebukuro, semi-express trains stopped only at Kotake-Mukaihara; between Ikebukuro and Shin-Kiba, trains stopped at all stations. The semi-express trains ran between rush hours during weekdays and more frequently on weekends and holidays. These services were abolished and replaced with local services on March 6, 2010.[4]
Since March 2008, very occasional Bay Resort limited express trains on the Odakyū Odawara Line operate to Shin-Kiba on the Yurakucho Line via a connecting track to the Chiyoda Line beyond Sakuradamon.
Since March 26, 2017, Seibu operates the S-Train limited-stop express service between Toyosu and Tokorozawa on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line on weekday mornings and evenings.
Station list
- All stations are located in Tokyo.
- Local trains stop at every station.
- S-Train services stop at the stations indicated by "●" and "↑" (alighting only during the morning, boarding only during the evening) and pass all stations indicated by "|".
Main Line
| No. | Station | Japanese | Distance (km) | S-Train | Transfers | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between stations | From Y-01 | |||||||
| ↑ Through-service to/from Shinrin-kōen via the TJ Tobu Tojo Line ↑ | ||||||||
| Y01 | Wakoshi | 和光市[* 1] | - | 0.0 | [* 2] |
| Wakō, Saitama | |
| Y02 | Chikatetsu-narimasu | 地下鉄成増 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Itabashi | Tokyo | |
| Y03 | Chikatetsu-akatsuka | 地下鉄赤塚 | 1.4 | 3.6 |
| Nerima | ||
| Y04 | Heiwadai | 平和台 | 1.8 | 5.4 | F Fukutoshin Line (F-04) (same tracks) | |||
| Y05 | Hikawadai | 氷川台 | 1.4 | 6.8 | F Fukutoshin Line (F-05) (same tracks) | |||
Through services via the  Seibu Yūrakuchō Line | To/from Hannō via the Seibu Ikebukuro Line | |||||||
| Y06 | Kotake-mukaihara | 小竹向原[* 3] | 1.5 | 8.3 | | |
| ||
| Y07 | Senkawa | 千川 | 1.0 | 9.3 | | | F Fukutoshin Line (F-07) | Toshima | |
| Y08 | Kanamecho | 要町 | 1.0 | 10.3 | | | F Fukutoshin Line (F-08) | ||
| Y09 | Ikebukuro | 池袋 | 1.2 | 11.5 | [* 4] |
| ||
| Y10 | Higashi-ikebukuro | 東池袋 | 0.9 | 12.4 | | |  Toden Arakawa Line (Higashi-ikebukuro-yonchome) | ||
| Y11 | Gokokuji | 護国寺 | 1.1 | 13.5 | | | Bunkyō | ||
| Y12 | Edogawabashi | 江戸川橋 | 1.3 | 14.8 | | | |||
| Y13 | Iidabashi | 飯田橋 | 1.6 | 16.4 | ↑ |
| Shinjuku | |
| Y14 | Ichigaya | 市ケ谷 | 1.1 | 17.5 | | |
| Chiyoda | |
| Y15 | Kojimachi | 麹町 | 0.9 | 18.4 | | | |||
| Y16 | Nagatacho | 永田町 | 0.9 | 19.3 | | |
| ||
| Y17 | Sakuradamon | 桜田門 | 0.9 | 20.2 | | | |||
| Y18 | Yurakucho | 有楽町 | 1.0 | 21.2 | ↑ |
| ||
| Y19 | Ginza-itchome | 銀座一丁目 | 0.5 | 21.7 | | |
| Chūō | |
| Y20 | Shintomicho | 新富町 | 0.7 | 22.4 | | | H Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line (Tsukiji: H-11) | ||
| Y21 | Tsukishima | 月島 | 1.3 | 23.7 | | | E Toei Oedo Line (E-16) | ||
| Y22 | Toyosu | 豊洲 | 1.4 | 25.1 | ● | Yb Yurakucho Line (for Sumiyoshi; some trains through to Sumiyoshi) | Kōtō | |
| Y23 | Tatsumi | 辰巳 | 1.7 | 26.8 | | | |||
| Y24 | Shin-kiba | 新木場 | 1.5 | 28.3 | ● | |||
Rolling stock
All types are operated as 10-car sets.
Tokyo Metro
- Tokyo Metro 10000 series (from September 2006)
- Tokyo Metro 17000 series (from 21 February 2021)
A Tokyo Metro 10000 series EMU
A Tokyo Metro 17000 series EMU
Other operators
- Seibu 6000 and 6050 series (Not all sets are permitted to run on Yūrakuchō Line tracks)
- Seibu 40000 series (S-Train services)
- Seibu 40050 series
- Tobu 9000 series
- Tobu 9050 series
- Tobu 50070 series
- Tokyu 5050-4000 series could run on the line, but only in the special case of emergency schedule adjustments.
Seibu 40000 series EMU
Seibu 6000 series EMU
Tobu 9000 series EMU
Tobu 50070 series EMU
Former rolling stock
- Tokyo Metro 7000 series (from 1974 until 29 October 2021[citation needed])
- Tokyo Metro 07 series (from 1992 until 2007)[5]
- Odakyu 60000 series MSE (Romancecar, as Limited Express Bay Resort, occasionally)
A Tokyo Metro 7000 series EMU
A Tokyo Metro 07 series EMU
Depots
- Wakō Depot (和光検車区) (main depot)
- Shin-Kiba Depot (新木場検車区) (responsible for minor inspections; for major ones, EMUs are forwarded to the Ayase Depot (綾瀬車両基地) on the Chiyoda Line via underground connecting tracks)
- Shin-Kiba Car Renewal (新木場CR) (specializes in railcar refurbishment: also used for Chiyoda and Hanzōmon Line railcars)
History
- 30 October 1974: Ikebukuro – Ginza-itchōme section opens.
- 27 March 1980: Ginza-itchōme – Shintomichō section opens.
- 24 June 1983: Eidan Narimasu (present Chikatetsu Narimasu) – Ikebukuro section opens
- 1 October 1983: Seibu Railway Seibu Yūrakuchō Line Kotake-Mukaihara – Shin-Sakuradai section opened, through operation with Eidan Yūrakuchō Line begins.
- 25 August 1987: Wakōshi – Eidan Narimasu opens. Through service to Tōbu Tōjō Line begins.
- 8 June 1988: Shintomichō – Shin-kiba opens, current line completed.
- 18 March 1993: 07 series EMUs introduced.
- 7 December 1994: New line opened from Kotake-Mukaihara to Ikebukuro. This section was named the "Yūrakuchō New Line". All trains on it made Ikebukuro their terminus and did not stop at Senkawa nor Kanamechō. Through service from Shin-Kiba or Ikebukuro (on the New Line) to Nerima on Seibu Yūrakuchō Line begins.
- 26 March 1998: Through operation to Seibu Ikebukuro Line begins.
- 1 April 2004: The owner of the line changed from Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA, Eidan) to Tokyo Metro due to the former's privatization.[6]
- 31 October 2005: Women-only cars introduced.
- 1 September 2006: 10000 series introduced.
- 3 May 2008: Limited Express "Bay Resort" (operated first from/to Odakyu Line) begins operating.
- 14 June 2008: Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line began service. Yurakuchō New Line annexed by the Fukutoshin Line. Yurakuchō Line shares tracks with Fukutoshin Line between Wakōshi and Kotake-Mukaihara. Semi-Express service starts running.
- October 2008: Automatic train control enabled on the Yurakuchō Line.
- 6 March 2010: Semi-express services abolished.
- 6 August 2022: "Wanman" one-person operation begins on the section between Kotake-Mukaihara and Shin-Kiba[7]
On 10 September 2012, 10-car 5050-4000 series sets entered revenue service on the Yurakucho Line, with inter-running through to the Tobu Tojo Line.[8]
Future developments
In 2021, plans were announced to branch the Yurakucho line at Toyosu Station, traveling north for 5.2 km (3.2 mi) connecting with Toyocho on the Tozai Line and Sumiyoshi Station on the Shinjuku Line and Hanzomon Line. An additional two stations (Edagawa and Sengoku) would also be added in the Koto Ward serving the Sengoku and Toyo districts.[9][10] Tentative names for the new stations were determined in August 2022.[11] The branch line (nicknamed the Toyozumi Line according to official city documents) is intended to aid in redevelopment efforts in Koto Ward.[11] As of 28 January 2022 the expected cost of construction is ¥269 billion (2021). There are also plans for a spur branching off from the planned Tokyo Rinkai Subway line at Kachidoki to link up to the future Toyozumi Line (Yurakucho Linebranch) Platforms at Toyosu Station. . The branch line is expected to be in service in the mid-2030s.
| No. | Station (tentative) | Japanese | Distance (km) Between stations | Transfers | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyosu | 豊洲 | 0000 | Y Yurakucho Line (for Ikebukuro and Shin-Kiba; some trains through) | Kōtō | |
| Edagawa | 枝川 | 0000 | |||
| Toyocho | 東陽町 | 1.6 | T Tozai Line | ||
| Sengoku | 千石 | 0.9 | |||
| Sumiyoshi | 住吉 | 0.9 | Z Hanzōmon Line |
A branch line from Toyosu Station has been planned since the early 1980s, heading north via Kameari Station (on the Jōban Line) to Noda in northwest Chiba Prefecture.[12]
References
- Shaw, Dennis and Morioka, Hisashi, "Tokyo Subways", published 1992 by Hoikusha Publishing
External links
