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Subways keep Tokyo on the move

By Chris Betros

A train on the Ginza line prepares to leave Omotesando station.

TOKYO — Each morning in Tokyo, alarm clocks ring, breakfasts are downed, and as if on signal, millions rush off to work. The responsibility for delivering this huge herd of commuters to and from work rests with a vast intricate transit network, at the center of which is the subway system.

In many ways, Tokyo’s subway is a microcosm of Japanese society itself. Congestion, maximum use of minimum space, state-of-the-art technology, good and bad manners, cleanliness (for the most part), accidents, suicides, perverts, endless announcements and business opportunities — it’s all there.

The Tokyo Metro Co Ltd carries 5.8 million passengers a day over 183.2 kilometers and 168 stations, while the Toei subway system transports 2.03 million passengers daily over 109 kilometers and 106 stations.

Tokyo’s first subway opened on Dec 30, 1927, between Asakusa and Ueno (the Ginza line). The Teito Rapid Transit Authority was established in 1941 and since then, it has overseen the extension of the Ginza line and the construction of seven other lines (Marunouchi, Hibiya, Tozai, Chiyoda, Yurakucho, Hanzomon and Nanboku lines). A ninth one, Line No. 13 from Ikebukuro-Shibuya, is scheduled for completion in 2008. The authority became a special private company in 2004, changing its name to Tokyo Metro Co Ltd.

“The Tokyo metropolitan and national governments are the stakeholders, but we are basically self-run,” explained Hidemi Someya, director of international affairs for Tokyo Metro. “With the completion of Line No. 13, we will become a fully privatized company like JR.”

Tokyo Metro one of only two subways in black

Tokyo Metro is one of only two subway operators in the world in the black, according to Metro officials (the other is Hong Kong). With daily average ticket revenue of 739 million yen, Tokyo Metro’s projected profit for fiscal 2005 is 43.53 billion yen. In contrast, the four Toei lines — the Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku and Oedo — remain in the red. Toei is run wholly by the Tokyo metropolitan government’s Bureau of Transportation (which also operates the buses).

Toei’s fares have always been higher since its first line opened in 1960 because it relies predominantly on passengers for its operating revenue rather than advertising and other means, said Shinobu Maruyama, a spokesman for the Bureau of Transportation. “The Oedo line has only been open since 2000, and we are still paying off construction costs, so the fares need to be higher,” he said. Another reason is that Toei lines were more expensive to build because they had to go deeper than existing Metro lines, added the bureau’s Kiyomi Inoue. 

One of the unique features of Tokyo’s subway system is its through service with other rail companies, such as JR. The subways were initially planned to replace the streetcar network, and passengers traveling into the center of Tokyo from the suburbs had to change trains at terminal stations. To ease the congestion, through-services were created, the first one being on the Hibiya line just prior to the Olympic Games in 1964. Commuting in the Kanto region will become even more hassle-free in 2007 with the introduction of PASMO, an IC card that can be used on all private rail companies, subways and buses, much like the current PASSNET system.

The city is now fairly well covered by subway lines, so much so that Tokyo Metro ambitiously states that it has no future plans to build new lines. “The current lines were decided upon by a Ministry of Transport council a long time ago,” said Someya. “Review meetings have been held every five years and the council believes the Tokyo network is mature and no more lines are needed.”

Certainly, construction is not cheap, when you consider how deep some stations are (Roppongi on the Oedo line is Tokyo’s deepest station at 42.3 meters). Construction can cost up to 30 million yen for just one meter. Toei, on the other hand, is planning to add to the Mita and Oedo lines by 2015, said Inoue. “We will also expand the Asakusa line from Tokyo station to Takaracho station,” he said.

Dealing with overcrowding during rush hour

Overcrowding during rush hour remains a constant bane for many passengers who feel akin to cattle, though Someya said the number of passengers during morning rush hour has gone down slightly in the Tokyo area. “The Tozai line is currently our most congested line,” he said. “Between 7:50 and 8:50 a.m., the congestion rate between Kiba and Monzen-nakacho stations is 197%. The next highest is 162% on the Ginza line between Akasaka-mitsuke and Tameikesanno. On the Tozai line, we are working on updating the signaling system which will allow for more trains.” For Toei, the Oedo line is becoming more congested, said Maruyama, with Shinjuku the busiest station.

While Toei runs express services on the Shinjuku and Asakusa lines, Tokyo Metro does not. “That’s common in New York, but they have three tracks on many lines,” said Someya. “We can’t bypass stations with only two lines.” There are also no plans to run trains 24 hours a day because operators say that time is needed for maintenance.

Both operators are putting a lot of resources into upgrading services, lines and stations. Most stations now have elevators from the ground level to platform, toilet facilities for the disabled, Braille fare tables, lower ticket vending machines for persons in wheelchairs, lower hanging straps in cars and yellow guide blocks for those with impaired vision. Tokyo Metro is proceeding with its plan to air-condition all stations: so far, 120 stations (82%) and all cars are air-conditioned.

How safe is it down below?

In March 2000, a train on the Hibiya line derailed on a sharp curve near Nakameguro station, killing five and injuring 60 (the only fatalities due to accidents in the subway’s history). With last year’s fatal derailment of a JR train still very much on commuters’ minds, subway operators have revised their safety procedures. “All of our trains now have the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system,” said Someya. “If the train starts going too fast or if driver lets go of the lever for some reason, then the train will automatically stop wherever it is. The rest of the trains on that line will stop, too.”

Other safety features include anti-derailing guard rails on sharp curves, overrun protection signals that apply emergency brakes and pre-warning systems that allow constant display of train speed limits without needing devices installed along the tracks.

Earthquakes are another big fear. Subway tunnels are said to be able to withstand an earthquake with the same magnitude of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, though no one hopes to be around to find out. Seismometers are installed at six locations in Tokyo Metro’s network. When a quake is detected, a signal is sent to the control center and an earthquake warning system is automatically activated, halting all trains. “There was a strong quake last year and it took a long time to check out each line, which meant that service was suspended for a long time,” said Someya. “So we are going to install seismometers at 31 locations this year. That means the entire network won’t have to stop. It can be localized.” Drills are regularly conducted for all disasters, including quakes, flooding and fires. Fires are less of a risk nowadays because there are no petroleum or gas-fuel devices in the subway and the cars are constructed of non-flammable materials.   

Suicides and crime are two unfortunate facts of life for subway operators. There were 13 suicides on Tokyo Metro lines in 2004, said Someya, adding it had come down from a few years ago when the recession was worse. Installing half-height platform doors at stations on some lines has been a deterrent, although these were originally introduced to prevent people accidentally falling off platforms due to overcrowding. When a suicide does occur, the subway doesn’t announce it “because it would make people anxious,” said Toei’s Maruyama. “If it takes more than 30 minutes to clean things up, then we will make some sort of an announcement. That happened on Dec 29.”

Groping tops list of crimes

Crime, on the other hand, is increasing. The lowest point in the subway’s history was, of course, the sarin gas attack by religious cult Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995, that claimed 12 lives and injured thousands. The response to that and a heightened terror alert since the Iraq war in 2003 has been an increased use of surveillance cameras, the removal of waste disposal bins and more announcements and signs advising passengers to report any suspicious persons or packages.

Fortunately, most of the peccadillos the subways have to deal with are not so catastrophic. In 2004, Tokyo Metro says there were 736 reported incidents. Topping the list is no surprise: groping (560 cases). Next came vandalism on the train and to station facilities, violence by passengers toward station staff, fighting among passengers, pick-pocketing and fraud.

To make life easier for women, Tokyo Metro introduced women-only carriages on the Hanzomon line last May. On weekdays, the last car is reserved for women from the first train until 9:30am on weekdays. “They are getting a favorable response, although there are many differing opinions, as you would expect,” said Someya. “It’s hard to expand it to lines like the Ginza and Marunouchi because they only have six carriages, whereas the other lines have 10.” Toei has women-only cars on the Shinjuku line which joins the Keio line.

Since customer satisfaction is a high priority for subway companies, they have to bear the brunt of passenger complaints. For the past 32 years, Tokyo Metro has run a successful manner poster campaign once a month. “The most common complaints we get are from passengers dissatisfied with our employees’ attitude,” said Someya. “Others include people who sit in the courtesy seats or sit slovenly, taking up too much space. There are some complaints over women putting on makeup, the announcements, temperatures in the cars and so on. Our customer service center gets all the feedback. We never had that section until we became Tokyo Metro in 2004. As far as manners are concerned, we can only ask passengers to be considerate of others.”

Helping to limit complaints and brighten their image, the subway operators use service managers at busy stations to help commuters with fare and destination questions. Some of them speak English (or they at least have a guide to the standard questions and likely answers). Announcements in English have been introduced on Metro lines to help foreign visitors. To enhance its overall appeal, Tokyo Metro is using actress-model Yu Yamada as its campaign girl. “She projects the image of being ‘on the move and she is popular with men and women,” said a Metro marketing spokesman. 

Some stations are being further brightened by new businesses and kiosks on platforms. Many stations now offer wireless LAN services, for example. Meanwhile, Omotesando station was recently renewed as Echika, a complex featuring 26 shops and restaurants. “Since we are moving toward privatization, we can concentrate on affiliated business to use the space in stations for business opportunities,” explained Someya. Tokyo Metro is expanding into property development. Shibuya Mark City is a joint venture with the Tokyu and Keio train companies, said Someya. Following the success of ads on the outside of buses, ads on trains are slowly catching on. Several trains on Toei’s Oedo line advertise Microsoft Windows on the outside, while Tokyo Metro is getting requests from clients who want to wrap the cars with ads.

Finally, if you lose something on the subway, don’t despair. They might have it in their mountain of lost and found items. Shibuya is the No. 1 station for lost and found items, followed by Ebisu. The Metro keeps items for three days in a big storage facility at Ueno and then hands them over to the police. Over the years, there have been all sorts of things left behind on trains, ranging from pets, urns with cremated ashes, false teeth and underwear, but there was nothing quite that bizarre last year, said Someya. Umbrellas are, of course, the most common item, with 72,243 being left behind in 2005. “Last year on Feb 15, when it rained in the morning only, over 1,500 umbrellas were left behind,” he said. Commuter passes are next, then bags, gloves, cell phones, keys, hats and so on. As for something unusual, Someya said: “Well, someone did leave a rugby sand bag and a one-meter-long fan.” 

February 15, 2006

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wow
smd   (Feb 16 2006 - 23:01)	Rate | Report

Manners
smartacus   (Feb 17 2006 - 16:58)	Rate | Report

The bad manner that annoys me most is
Davy   (Feb 17 2006 - 17:10)	Rate | Report

I'd love to see
HonestDictator77   (Feb 18 2006 - 15:12)	Rate | Report

Subways keep Tokyo on the move
kimigano   (Feb 19 2006 - 02:35)	Rate | Report

Agreed with Davy
frontandcentre   (Feb 20 2006 - 17:56)	Rate | Report

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