Transportation in Greater Tokyo

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Shinkansen at Tokyo Station
Shinkansen at Tokyo Station
The Ginza Line, Asia's oldest subway line, first opened in 1927
The Ginza Line, Asia's oldest subway line, first opened in 1927

The transportation network in Greater Tokyo includes public and private rail and highway networks; airports for international, domestic, and general aviation; buses; motorcycle delivery services, walking, bicycling, and commercial shipping. While the nexus is in the central part of Tokyo, every part of the Greater Tokyo Area has rail or road transportation services. The sea and air transportation is available from limited number of ports for general public.

Public transportation within Greater Tokyo is dominated by the world's most extensive urban rail network [1] of clean and efficient surface trains and subways run by a variety of operators, with feeder buses and monorails playing a secondary role. Walking and bicycling are much more common than in many cities around the globe. Private automobiles and motorcycles play a secondary role in urban transport.

Contents

[edit] Airports

Two airports handle the vast majority of commercial flights in the region. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) in Ōta, Tokyo, is the primary field for domestic flights. Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture, is the major gateway for international travelers. Haneda's only international flights are to Hongqiao (Shanghai) and Gimpo (Seoul). Both are in expansion phase as they are overloaded.

Chofu Airport in the city of Chōfu in western Tokyo handles commuter flights to the Izu Islands, which are administratively part of Tokyo. Tokyo Heliport in Kōtō Ward, serves public-safety and news traffic. In the Izu Islands, Ōshima Airport on Ōshima, Hachijōjima Airport on Hachijō, and Miyakejima Airport on Miyake provide air service.

In addition, the Greater Tokyo area hosts military bases with airfields:

Also, alternative fringe airports will help bypass the 2 main airports in Tokyo are being developed:

[edit] Railway and subway

Rail is the primary mode of transportation in Tokyo. Tokyo has the most extensive urban railway network in the world, including surface lines.[1] There are 102 passenger train lines serving Tokyo, and 19 more serving Greater Tokyo but not Tokyo proper, for a total of 121 serving the metropolitan area. Despite this vastness, the network is still being expanded. (See these maps: NW part NE part SW part and SE partshows the Suica/PASMO accepting area that roughly corresponds with Greater Tokyo, except for the boxes on the far left) Because people cannot make sense of the all inclusive Tokyo area rail map due to its vastness, each operator makes its own map, with key transfer points. Tourists are usually only shown the subway map (missing the majority of lines) as a means of simplicity. Rail in Japan is often extremely crowded, with people pushing their way in when completely full. Most lines in Tokyo are privately owned and operated, with the exception of Toei subway lines (run directly by the Tokyo Metropolitan government). Rail and subway lines are highly integrated and dense; commuter trains from the suburbs continue directly into the subway network on many lines, often emerging on the other side of the city to serve another company's surface line at major stations. It is estimated some 20 million people use rail as their primary means of transport (not trips) in the metropolitan area daily. Shinjuku Station is the busiest train station in the world by passenger throughput. [2] As a comparison, Germany has 10 million daily train riders in the whole nation, the highest usage of any country in Europe.[3]

Passengers carried in Greater Tokyo stations:

  1. Shinjuku Station 3.52 million people
  2. Ikebukuro Station 2.64 million people
  3. Shibuya Station 2.18 million people
  4. Yokohama Station 2.09 million people
  5. Tokyo Station 1.08 million people
  6. Shinagawa Station 0.89 million people
  7. Takadanobaba Station 0.86 million people
  8. Shimbashi Station 0.82 million people


[edit] JR

JR Yamanote Line
JR Yamanote Line

East Japan Railway Company, or JR East, is the largest passenger railway company in the world. It operates throughout the Greater Tokyo area (as well as the rest of northeastern Honshū).

In addition to operating some long-haul Shinkansen ("bullet train" lines, except Tōkaidō Shinkansen operated by JR Central), JR East operates Tokyo's largest railway network, including the Yamanote Line that encircles the center of Tokyo, and commuter lines radiating from the city to its suburbs. These include the Keihin-Tōhoku Line between Saitama and Yokohama, the Chūō Line to western Tokyo, and the Sōbu Line to Chiba. The Keiyō serves nearby parts of Chiba. The Yokohama, Tōkaidō, and Yokosuka Lines serve the southwestern parts of the area.

Many additional lines form a network outside the center of the city. Among these are the Hachikō, Itsukaichi, Jōban, Jōetsu, Kawagoe, Musashino, Ōme, Negishi, Nambu, Sagami, Takasaki, and Tsurumi Lines. In total, JR alone operates 23 lines within the Greater Tokyo area.

JR East is also the majority stockholder in the Tokyo Monorail, one of the world's most commercially successful monorail lines.

[edit] Other carriers operating in Tokyo

Map of operators in Greater Tokyo Area
Map of operators in Greater Tokyo Area

Regional railways carry commuters into the center of Tokyo. These include several private railway networks. Keikyu directly operates five lines, Keio six, Keisei seven, Odakyu three, Seibu 13, Tobu 12, Tokyu eight, and the last five one each for a total of 55 non-JR lines serving Tokyo. These same operators indirectly operate (through subsidiaries, outsourcing etc) another 24 commuter lines outside of Tokyo, but in the metropolitan area, as well as a few tourism oriented aerial lifts and funiculars.

Some private and public carriers operate within the boundaries of Tokyo.

[edit] Subways in Tokyo

Map of Tokyo Subway system with selected stations
Map of Tokyo Subway system with selected stations

Two organizations operate the Tokyo subway network. One has the name "Tokyo Metro" and the other is a part of the government of Tokyo. Tokyo Metro operates nine lines, Toei operates four for a total of 13 lines.

[edit] Railways outside of Tokyo but in Greater Tokyo

The Sagami Railway (Sōtetsu) operates three lines, while all the rest operate one line each, for a total of 18 lines.

[edit] Ridership

Below is the average daily riderships of each major operator, as of 2005 fiscal year. The figures are those of directly operated lines, without subsidiary or related company lines. The total figure includes those of smaller operators not shown here. The sum may not reflect total riders accurately as riders may use both JR and other lines daily.

Operator Average daily ridership
East Japan Railway Company 14,526,027 [4]
Tokyo Metro 5,760,000 [5]
Tokyo Kyuko Electric Railway 2,730,000 [5]
Tobu Railway 2,730,000[5]
Toei Subway 2,086,083[6]
Odakyu Electric Railway 1,850,000 [5]
Seibu Railway 1,660,000 [5]
Keio Electric Railway 1,660,000 [5]
Keihin Electric Express Railway 1,170,000 [5]
Keisei Electric Railway 680,000 [5]
Sagami Railway 620,000 [5]
Total 36,823,673 [4]

[edit] Buses

Toei Bus
Toei Bus

Public buses in Greater Tokyo usually serve a secondary role, feeding bus passengers to/from train stations. Exceptions are long distance bus services, buses in areas poorly served by rail (not many exist), and airport bus services for people with luggage. Tokyo's metropolitan government operates Toei Buses mainly within the 23 special wards while private bus companies (mostly the large train operators listed above) operate other bus routes, as do other city governments, such as Kawasaki City Bus, Yokohama City Bus, etc. The Toei Buses have a fixed fare of 200 yen [2] per ride, while most other companies charge according to distance. Some train operators offer combined bus/train tickets; special pricing applies for children's and senior fares. Some routes feature non-step buses with a kneeling function to assist mobility-impaired users. [7]

[edit] Taxis

Taxis also serve a similar role to buses, supplementing the rail system, especially after midnight when most rail lines cease to operate. Persons moving around the city on business often chose taxis for convenience, as do people setting out in small groups.

[edit] Walking and cycling

Walking and cycling are very common forms of transport in Japan. As of 1990, cycling shared 17% of all trips in Tokyo. For a comparison, cycling shared 14% in whole Japan, 27% in the Netherlands, 18% in Denmark, 3% in France, 2% in United Kingdom, and 0.7% in United States. [8]

[edit] Roads

This marker in Nihonbashi is the place from which distances along highways are reckoned
This marker in Nihonbashi is the place from which distances along highways are reckoned

[edit] Local roads

National, prefectural and metropolitan, and local roads crisscross the region. Some of the major national highways are Routes 1, 4, 6, 14, 16, 17, and 20. Route 1 links Tokyo to Osaka along the old Tōkaidō, while Route 6 and Route 4 carries traffic north all the way to Sendai and Aomori respectively. Route 14 connects Nihonbashi with Chiba Prefecture. Route 16 is a heavily travelled circumferential linking Yokosuka, Yokohama, western Tokyo, Saitama, and Chiba. Route 17 originates in central Tokyo and passes through Saitama en route to Niigata Prefecture. Route 20 crosses Tokyo from east to west, continuing into Yamanashi Prefecture. The datum from which distances are reckoned is in Nihonbashi.

[edit] Local and regional expressways

The Shuto Expressway network covers central Tokyo, linking the intercity expressways together, while primarily serving commuters and truck traffic. Important regional expressways include the Tokyo Gaikan Expressway, Third Keihin Road, and Keiyō Road. The Bayshore Route bypasses Tokyo by traveling from Kanagawa Prefecture in between, above, and under manmade islands around Tokyo Bay to Chiba Prefecture. The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, which goes underneath Tokyo Bay, links Kawasaki to Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. Presently under construction (with some segments operating), the Ken-Ō Expressway will be a major circumferential through the area.

[edit] National

Tokyo is now a focus of a nationwide expressway system. However, because of high tolls, expressways are prohibitively expensive for basic transport. Many long-haul routes converge at Tokyo including the Tōmei Expressway, Chūō Expressway, Kan-Etsu Expressway, and Tōhoku Expressway.

[edit] Shipping

Shipping plays the crucial role for the freights coming in and out of the area nationally and internationally. But its roles within the area are limited, especially for passengers.

The notable route which serves as internal transportation is Tokyo-Wan Ferry, the car-passenger ferry route between Yokosuka, Kanagawa and Futtsu, Chiba [9], crossing Tokyo Bay. Other passenger services within the bay are mostly used as scenic cruises, such as Tokyo Cruise Ship and Tokyo Mizube Line in Tokyo, The Port Service and Keihin Ferry Boat in Yokohama.

Out of the bay, the car-passenger ferries to the Izu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands, Shikoku, Kyūshū, the Amami Islands and Okinawa serve from the ports of Tokyo or Yokohama. [10] The car-passenger ferries to Hokkaidō serve from Ōarai, Ibaraki [10]. There are some other freight ferries (which can carry less than 13 passengers) serving out of the Bay.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b There are 0.61 commuter rail stations in the Tokyo area per square mile (one for each 1.6 square miles) of developed land area, combined with the high density connecting bus networks, Commuter rail ridership very dense, at 6 million per line mile annually, by the highest among automotive urban areas. Urban Transport Factbook, Tokyo-Yokohama Suburban Rail Summary
  2. ^ According to the Shinjuku Station article, the station was used by an average of 3.52 million people per day in 2006. See the article for the exact sources.
  3. ^ BBC NEWS | Business | German train strike brings chaos
  4. ^ a b From Survey of the regional flowages of freights and passengers, MLIT official website. According to the chart 2-5-1, page 104, JR transported 5,224,806 thousand passengers within Greater Tokyo Area, in 2005 (Heisei 17) fiscal year. According to the chart 2-5-2, page 105, private railways transported 8,215,835 thousands, so railways in total transported 13,440,641thousands.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i [1]
  6. ^ Business Outline from Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation official website.
  7. ^ Toei Bus official website: 50% of buses are now non-step buses.
  8. ^ From EU Transport in Figures Statistical Pocket Book, page 82.
  9. ^ ja:東京湾フェリー as of 2007-08-01T09:48 retrieved on 2007-09-07.
  10. ^ a b ja:日本のフェリー会社一覧 as of 2007-09-05T13:17 retrieved on 2007-09-07.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Mass transit in the Tokyo area (Number of lines indicated in parentheses)
JR lines
■Yamanote • ■Chūō • ■Chūō-Sōbu • ■Jōban • ■Keihin-Tōhoku • ■Keiyō • ■Saikyō •■Shōnan-Shinjuku • ■Sōbu Rapid • ■Tōkaidō • ■Utsunomiya • ■Yokosuka
Tokyo Metro lines
○Chiyoda (C) • ○Fukutoshin (F) • ○Ginza (G) • ○Hibiya (H) • ○Marunouchi (M) • ○Namboku (N) • ○Tōzai (T) • ○Yūrakuchō (Y) • ○Hanzōmon (Z)
Toei lines
Subway: ○Asakusa (A) • ○Ōedo (E) • ○Mita (I) • ○Shinjuku (S) • Guideway: Nippori-Toneri • Streetcar: Arakawa
Major / semi-major lines
Keikyū (5) • Keiō (7) • Keisei (7) • Odakyū (5) • Seibu (13) • Shin-Keisei • Sōtetsu (2) • Tōbu (12) • Tōkyū (8)
Other lines
Suburban, JR
■Hachikō • ■Kawagoe • ■Mito • ■Musashino • ■Nambu • ■Narita • ■Negishi • ■Ōme • ■Ryōmō • ■Sagami • ■Sōbu Main • ■Sotobō • ■Takasaki • ■Tōgane • ■Tsurumi • ■Uchibō • ■Yokohama
Suburban, Non-JR
Terminals
Miscellaneous
Shinkansen (commuter) • PASMO • Passnet • Suica • Transportation in Greater Tokyo • Rail transport in Japan
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 Shadow picture of Tokyo region

Metropolitan flag of Tokyo
Cities
Districts and
Subprefectures