Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line Explained

Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line
Other Name:Z
Linenumber:11
Mapcolor: Lavender (#)
Native Name:東京メトロ半蔵門線
Type:Heavy rail rapid transit
System:Tokyo subway
Locale:Tokyo
Stations:14
Daily Ridership:1,006,682 (2017)[1]
Operator:Tokyo Metro
Depot:Saginuma
Stock:Tokyo Metro 8000 series
Tokyo Metro 08 series
Tokyo Metro 18000 series
Tokyu 2020 series
Tokyu 5000 series
Tobu 50000 series
Tobu 50050 series
Maxincline:3.5%
Signalling:Cab signalling, Closed block
Trainprotection:New CS-ATC
Electrification: (overhead line)
Map State:collapsed

The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by Tokyo Metro.

Overview

The line serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chūō, Kōtō, and Sumida. Despite being shorter in length than nearly all other Tokyo subway lines, the Hanzōmon Line operates some of the longest through services with private railways – namely Tōkyū Corporation and Tobu Railway. The line is connected to Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line at Shibuya Station to the south, and to the Tobu Skytree Line at to the north. Through trains operate between on the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line and on the Tobu Skytree Line, onward to on the Tobu Isesaki Line and on the Tobu Nikko Line.[2] Through-service trains between Chūō-Rinkan and Minami-Kurihashi cover a total distance of in a single run – nearly six times the length of the Hanzōmon Line alone.

The Hanzōmon Line has direct interchanges with all other Tokyo Metro and Toei lines. It connects with the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line at five stations (the four stations between Shibuya and Nagatachō, as well as at Mitsukoshimae Station.

The line is named after the west gate of the Imperial Palace (Hanzōmon), which in turn is named after 16th century samurai Hattori Hanzō, who was important to the founding of the shogunate which built the palace. The Hanzōmon Line's color on maps and station guides is purple, and stations carry the letter "Z" followed by a two-digit number.

According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, as of June 2009 the Hanzōmon Line is the sixth most crowded subway line in Tokyo, at its peak running at 173% capacity between Shibuya and Omotesandō stations.[3]

Station list

No.StationJapaneseDistance (km)TransfersLocation
Between
stations
From Shibuya
Tokyu Den-en-toshi through services:Via the to/from
渋谷[4] style="text-align:right;"-0.0Shibuya
表参道1.31.3Minato
青山一丁目1.42.7
永田町1.44.1Chiyoda
半蔵門1.05.1 
九段下1.66.7
神保町0.47.1
大手町1.78.8
三越前0.79.5Chūō
水天宮前1.310.8
清澄白河1.712.5 (E-14)Kōtō
住吉1.914.4 (S-13)
錦糸町1.015.4Sumida
押上[5] 1.416.8
Tobu through services:Via the Tobu Skytree Line & Tobu Isesaki Line to/from
Via the Tobu Skytree Line & Tobu Nikko Line to/from

Rolling stock

Current

All Hanzōmon Line rolling stock owned by Tokyo Metro are stored and maintained at Saginuma Depot (ja:鷺沼車両基地), located near Saginuma Station on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line.

Former

History

The Hanzōmon Line was first planned in 1968, along with the Chiyoda Line and Yūrakuchō Line, as a reliever line for the heavily congested Ginza Line. Its initial routing was from Futako-Tamagawa Station on the Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line to a new station in the Fukagawa district of Kōtō. In 1985, a second draft plan from the Ministry of Transportation moved the Hanzōmon Line's final terminus to Matsudo. During the planning stage, it was known as Line 11.

Construction began in 1972 and the majority of the line was expected to open in 1975. However, the Teito Rapid Transit Authority did not have enough funds to build the line, which delayed its construction. On August 1, 1978, the first section of the Hanzōmon Line finally opened from Shibuya to Aoyama-itchōme, including through services with the Den-en-toshi Line. It was then extended to Nagatachō Station in September 1979. The line was initially operated mainly using Tokyu rolling stock, as the first TRTA 8000 series train did not enter service until 1981.

However, the next extension posed political problems, as the original plan had the line run directly under the Imperial Palace to Ōtemachi Station. TRTA decided to divert the route around the north side of the Imperial Palace, which required the construction of three new stations. An eminent domain battle erupted with landowners along the proposed route, which delayed the completion of the next stage of the line. Hanzomon Station opened in December 1982, and the full extension around the Imperial Palace, terminating at Mitsukoshi-mae, was not completed until January 1989. The line was then extended to Suitengu-mae in November 1990 and finally Oshiage in March 2003, the latter also enabling through service with the Tobu Skytree Line.[8]

The line, station facilities, rolling stock, and related assets were inherited by Tokyo Metro after the privatization of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) in 2004.[9]

The Ministry of Transportation recommended in 2000 that the line be extended to its intended terminus in Matsudo by 2015. However, Tokyo Metro stated in its initial public offering that its construction operations would cease once the Fukutoshin Line is completed, which cast some doubt as to whether the Matsudo extension will actually be built.

Notes

a. Crowding levels defined by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism:[10] [11]

100% — Commuters have enough personal space and are able to take a seat or stand while holding onto the straps or hand rails.

150% — Commuters have enough personal space to read a newspaper.

180% — Commuters must fold newspapers to read.

200% — Commuters are pressed against each other in each compartment but can still read small magazines.

250% — Commuters are pressed against each other, unable to move.

Bibliography

Works cited

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.train-media.net/report/1110/metro.pdf Tokyo Metro station ridership in 2017
  2. Tobu Timetable, 16 March 2013, p.168-176
  3. Metropolis, "Commute", June 12, 2009, p. 07. Capacity is defined as all passengers having a seat or a strap or door railing to hold on to.
  4. Shibuya is shared by both Tokyu Corporation and Tokyo Metro; Tokyu Corporation manages the station.
  5. Oshiage is shared by both Tobu Railway and Tokyo Metro; Tokyo Metro manages the station.
  6. Web site: 2021-09-25 . ja:東京メトロ「兄弟車」有楽町線・副都心線17000系と半蔵門線18000系 . Tokyo Metro "Brother Car" Yurakucho Line & Fukutoshin Line 17000 series and Hanzomon Line 18000 series . 2022-06-20 . Mynavi News . Mynavi Corporation . ja.
  7. Suzuki . Riki . March 2003 . ja:営団地下鉄08系 . Teito Rapid Transit Authority 08 series . . ja . Japan . Koyusha Co., Ltd. . 43 . 503 . 54–60.
  8. Book: The 地下鉄 . The Subway. Sansuisha . 2004 . Japan. 28. 4-06-366218-7.
  9. Web site: 2006-07-08 . 「営団地下鉄」から「東京メトロ」へ . From "Teito Rapid Transit Authority" to "Tokyo Metro" . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120516041232/http://www.tokyometro.jp/news/s2004/2004-06.html . 16 May 2012 . 29 May 2022 . Tokyo Metro Online.
  10. Web site: 混雑率の推移.
  11. Web site: Tokyo plans new effort to ease commuter hell on rush-hour trains . Daisuke . Kikuchi . 6 July 2017 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20170706120354/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/06/national/tokyo-plans-new-effort-ease-crowding-rush-hour-trains/ . 6 July 2017 . live.