The , officially designated as , is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. The line spans 14.3 km (8.9 mi) and serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Chūō, Chiyoda, and Taitō.
It is the oldest subway line in Asia, opening in 1927 and originally operated by the Tokyo Underground Railway, later jointly operated with the Tokyo Rapid Railway.
The line is named after the Ginza commercial district in Chūō, through which it passes. On maps, diagrams, and signage, the line is color-coded orange, and its stations are identified by the letter "G" followed by a specific number.
Operations
Nearly all Ginza Line trains operate along the full length of the line between Asakusa and Shibuya. However, two early-morning trains originate at Toranomon, and several late-night trains from Shibuya terminate at Ueno. Along with the Marunouchi Line, the Ginza Line is a self-contained system with no through-service operations to other railway lines.
On weekdays, the line maintains a headway of 2 minutes and 15 seconds during morning and evening peak periods, and 5 minutes during the day. The first trains depart from Shibuya and Asakusa at 05:01; the final services reach Shibuya at 00:37 and Asakusa at 00:39.
History
thumb|Ginza Line in the 1920s, with a [[Nomura Holdings|Nomura Securities advert on the wall]]
The Ginza Line was conceived by businessman Noritsugu Hayakawa, who, after observing the London Underground during a 1914 visit, concluded that Tokyo City required its own subterranean railway. In 1920, he co-founded the Tokyo Underground Railway (東京地下鉄道) alongside Baron Furuichi Kōi. Construction began on September 27, 1925, following the procurement of ¥6.2 mil ($25k) toward the project's initial ¥35 mil ($145k) funding requirement.
Originally, the Ginza Line was proposed to open from Shimbashi to Asakusa all at once, but because of a recession following the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923), it became difficult to raise funds for the line. The portion between and was completed on December 30, 1927.
On January 1, 1930, the subway was extended by to temporary Manseibashi Station, abandoned on November 21, 1931 when the subway reached , further south down the line. The Great Depression slowed down construction, but the line finally reached its originally planned terminus of on June 21, 1934.
In 1938, the Tokyo Rapid Railway (東京高速鉄道), a company tied to the predecessor of today's Tokyu Corporation, began service between and , later extended to Shimbashi in 1939. The two lines began through-service interoperation in 1939 and were formally merged as the Teito Rapid Transit Authority ("Eidan Subway" or "TRTA") in July 1941 in accordance with the Land Transport Business Coordination Law, related to the State General Mobilization Law.
However, intensifying warfare led to severe power shortages. Consequently, from January 19, 1943, measures such as shortening the operating routes of some trains operating only between Mitsukoshimae Station and Shibuya Station and suspending service on holidays were implemented. The continued deterioration of the power supply and a decrease in the number of operable electric cars due to vehicle part shortages resulted in a further series of speed reductions and a decrease in train frequency.
thumb|left|[[Ginza Station Exit in 2004, shortly before rebranding from TRTA to Tokyo Metro.]]
Automatic train control (ATC) and train automatic stopping controller (TASC) were activated on the Ginza Line on July 31, 1993, replacing the previous mechanical automatic train stop (ATS) system. This allowed for an increase in the maximum operating speed limit from to , which came into effect on August 2, 1993, and hence enabled a corresponding increase in the line's route capacity and train frequency. The newest station on the line, Tameike-sannō Station, opened in 1997 to provide a connection to the newly built Namboku Line.
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.
Stations
center|thumb|800x800px|List of Ginza line stations
- All stations are located in Tokyo.
Being the oldest line on the Tokyo Metro, stations are also the closest to the surface—generally no more than one and a half stories underground. The western end of the line enters Shibuya Station located on the third-floor of a building that is located in a depression.
{| class="wikitable" rules="all"
|-
! rowspan="2"|No.
! rowspan="2"|Station
! rowspan="2"|Japanese
! colspan="2"|Distance (km)
! rowspan="2"|Transfers
! rowspan="2"|Ward
|-
! Between<br />stations
! From Shibuya
|-
|
|
|渋谷
|style="text-align: right"|-
|style="text-align: right"|0.0
|
|Shibuya
|-
|
|
|表参道
|style="text-align: right"|1.3
|style="text-align: right"|1.3
|
|rowspan="4"|Minato
|-
|
|
|外苑前
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|2.0
|
|-
|
|
|青山一丁目
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|2.7
|
|-
|
|
|赤坂見附
|style="text-align: right"|1.3
|style="text-align: right"|4.0
|
|-
|
|
|溜池山王
|style="text-align: right"|0.9
|style="text-align: right"|4.9
|
|Chiyoda
|-
|
|
|虎ノ門
|style="text-align: right"|0.6
|style="text-align: right"|5.5
|
|rowspan="2"|Minato
|-
|
|
|新橋
|style="text-align: right"|0.8
|style="text-align: right"|6.3
|
|-
|
|
|銀座
|style="text-align: right"|0.9
|style="text-align: right"|7.2
|
|rowspan="4"|Chūō
|-
|
|
|京橋
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|7.9
|
|-
|
|
|日本橋
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|8.6
|
|-
|
|
|三越前
|style="text-align: right"|0.6
|style="text-align: right"|9.2
|
|-
|
|
|神田
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|9.9
|
|rowspan="2"|Chiyoda
|-
|
|
|末広町
|style="text-align: right"|1.1
|style="text-align: right"|11.0
|
|-
|
|
|上野広小路
|style="text-align: right"|0.6
|style="text-align: right"|11.6
|
|rowspan="5"|Taitō
|-
|
|
|上野
|style="text-align: right"|0.5
|style="text-align: right"|12.1
|
|-
|
|
|稲荷町
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|12.8
|
|-
|
|
|田原町
|style="text-align: right"|0.7
|style="text-align: right"|13.5
| (: TX03)
|-
|
|
|浅草
|style="text-align: right"|0.8
|style="text-align: right"|14.3
|
|}
Ridership
{| class="wikitable" style="border-spacing: 1px; text-align:center; font-size:80%;"
|-
|+ Average daily ridership
|-
! style="border-bottom:1px solid black"| Year!! style="border-bottom:1px solid black"| Ridership!! rowspan="18" style="background:#fff;" | <timeline>
ImageSize = width:auto height:250 barincrement:30
PlotArea = left:30 bottom:15 top:11 right:15
AlignBars = justify
Period = from:0 till:100
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
Colors =
id:gray value:gray(0.5)
id:line1 value:gray(0.9)
id:line2 value:gray(0.7)
id:Ginza value:rgb(0.99, 0.58, 0.00)
ScaleMajor = start:0 increment:5 gridcolor:line2
ScaleMinor = start:0 increment:1 gridcolor:line1
PlotData=
color:Ginza width:22
bar:1928 from:start till:2.2445
bar:1930 from:start till:2.7512
bar:1935 from:start till:7.9334
bar:1952 from:start till:31.7745
bar:1960 from:start till:50.7545
bar:1965 from:start till:57.4039
bar:1970 from:start till:96.6499
bar:1975 from:start till:59.7200
bar:1980 from:start till:75.1780
bar:1985 from:start till:80.8773
bar:1990 from:start till:82.6627
bar:1995 from:start till:74.5992
bar:2000 from:start till:74.1378
bar:2005 from:start till:72.7071
bar:2010 from:start till:71.7663
bar:2015 from:start till:77.2841
bar:2020 from:start till:46.5156
bar:2024 from:start till:70.7098
</timeline>
|-
| 1928|| 22,445
|-
| 1930|| 27,512
|-
| 1935|| 79,334
|-
| 1952|| 317,745
|-
| 1960|| 507,545
|-
| 1965|| 574,039
|-
| 1970|| 966,499
|-
| 1975|| 597,200
|-
| 1980|| 751,780
|-
| 1985|| 808,773
|-
| 1990|| 826,627
|-
| 1995|| 745,992
|-
| 2000|| 741,378
|-
| 2005|| 727,071
|-
| 2010|| 717,663
|-
| 2015|| 772,841
|-
| 2020 || 465,156
|-
| 2024 || 707,098
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="2" style="border-top:1px solid black; font-size:85%; text-align:left" |Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government
|}
Rolling stock
thumb|A Tokyo Metro 1000 series EMU in April 2013
thumb|thumbtime=11|Tokyo Metro Ginza Line trains coming and going during the reconstruction of Shibuya Station in 2017
Since April 2012, the Ginza Line uses a fleet of 40 six-car Tokyo Metro 1000 series EMUs which have a maximum speed of . Each car is long and wide, with three doors on each side. They are powered by a third rail electrified at 600 V DC. Both the Ginza Line and the Marunouchi Line are the only Tokyo Metro lines to use and third rail electrification, while subsequent lines employ narrow gauge () rails and 1,500 V DC overhead power supply to accommodate through services.
Cars are stored and inspected at Shibuya Depot located after Shibuya Station and at , a facility located northeast of Ueno Station with both above-ground and underground tracks. The facility is capable of holding up to 20 6-car formations. Major inspections are carried out at Tokyo Metro's Nakano depot on the Marunouchi Line, forwarding over a connecting track at Akasaka-Mitsuke.
Former rolling stock
- 100 series (1938–1968)
- 1000 series (TRTA) (1927–1968)
- 1100 series (1930–1968)
- 1200 series (1934–1986)
- 1300 series (1949–1986)
- 1400 series (1953–1985)
- 1500 series (1954–1986)
- 1500N series (1968–1993)
- 1600 series (1955–1986)
- 1700 series (1956–1986)
- 1800 series (1958–1986)
- 1900 series (1958–1987)
- 2000 series (1958–1993)
- 01 series 6-car EMUs, from 1983 until March 2017
The last remaining 01 series trains were withdrawn from regular service on 10 March 2017.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Ginza Line 117 Scan10021.JPG|A 100 series EMU car
File:Eidan type 1000 train.jpg|One of the original 1000 series cars operated on the Tokyo Underground Railway between Ueno and Asakusa. The last car was retired in 1968.
File:TRT-1001-Tokyo-Metro-Museum.jpg|Original 1000 series car preserved at Tokyo Subway Museum
File:Ginza Line 1249 1951 Scan10021.JPG|A Ginza Line 1200 series EMU in 1951
File:TRTA Ginza Line 2000 Shibuya 19770625.jpg|A Ginza Line 2000 series set in 1977
File:Tokyo-Metro-Series01-130F.jpg|A Ginza Line 01 series EMU
</gallery>
See also
- Tokyo Underground Railway
- Tokyo Rapid Railway
- List of Tokyo Metro stations
References
- Shaw, Dennis and Morioka, Hisashi, "Tokyo Subways", published 1992 by Hoikusha Publishing
External links
- Ginza Line overview (Tokyo Metro)