The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Meguro in Shinagawa and Akabane-Iwabuchi in Kita. The Namboku Line was referred to as Line 7 during the planning stages, thus the seldom-used official name is .

On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color emerald (previously coded "teal"), and its stations are given numbers using the letter "N".

The Namboku Line is one of Tokyo Metro's newer lines, featuring advanced technology including full automatic train operation and platform screen doors.

Overview

Trains run through onto the Tokyu Meguro Line for and the Saitama Railway's Saitama Rapid Railway Line (which is essentially a separately-owned extension of the Namboku Line) for .

The right-of-way and stations between and Meguro are shared with the Toei Mita Line – a unique situation on the Tokyo subway where both operators share common infrastructure. Under an agreement between Tokyo Metro and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the fare for this section is calculated on the Toei Subway fare system for passengers traveling to stations on the Mita Line past Shirokane-Takanawa, on the Metro fare system for passengers traveling to stations on the Namboku Line past Shirokane-Takanawa, and on the system "most beneficial to the passenger" (presently the Metro schedule) for travel solely on the shared sector.

On maps, diagrams and signboards, the Namboku Line is shown using the color emerald (<span style="color: #00ada9;">▉</span>), and its stations are given numbers using the letter "N".

History

Although the line was originally approved in 1962 as Line 7 (Meguro – Iikurakatamachi – Nagatacho – Ichigaya – Komagome – Oji – Akabanecho), construction did not begin until 1986, partly due to the right-of-way to Meguro with the Toei Mita Line.

The first segment from to opened on 29 November 1991.

The line initially operated with four-car EMUs. Upon its extension to Yotsuya in March 1996, the formations were extended to six cars. On 1 April 2022, eight-car trains began operating on the line. Through service with the Saitama Rapid Railway Line commenced when it opened in March 2001 and accommodated traffic to and from Saitama Stadium during the 2002 World Cup. Although the Saitama Line is more or less a northern extension of the Namboku Line, it nevertheless remains a private entity to which the Namboku Line offers through services with.

The Namboku Line was inherited by Tokyo Metro after the privatization of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) in 2004.

Effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023, through services onto the Sagami Railway commenced courtesy of the Tokyu and Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line. Most southbound services past Hiyoshi continue as far south as Shin-Yokohama and Ebina.

Stations

center|thumb|900x900px|List of Namboku line stations

  • All stations are located in Tokyo.
  • All services stop at all stations.

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!rowspan="2"|Station<br />No.

!rowspan="2"|Station

!rowspan="2"|Japanese

!colspan="2"|Distance (km)

!rowspan="2"|Transfers

!rowspan="2"|Location

|-

!Between<br />stations

!From N-01

|-

| colspan="7" align="center" |↑ Through-services to/from: ↑

  • , , via
  • via
  • via
  • , via
  • via

|-

|

|

|目黒

| style="text-align:center;" | –

| style="text-align:right;" |0.0

|

|Shinagawa

|-

|

|

|白金台

|style="text-align:right;"|1.3

|style="text-align:right;"|1.3

| (I-02; shared)

|rowspan="4"|Minato

|-

|

|

|白金高輪

|style="text-align:right;"|1.1

|style="text-align:right;"|21.3

| (SR19)

|-

|colspan="7" align="center" |↓ Through-services to/from , via ↓

|}

Rolling stock

  • Tokyo Metro 9000 series 6/8-car EMUs
  • Tokyu 3000 series 8-car EMUs
  • Tokyu 5080 series 8-car EMUs
  • Tokyu 3020 series 8-car EMUs
  • Saitama Rapid Railway 2000 series 6-car EMUs
  • Sotetsu 21000 series 8-car EMUs

<gallery widths=180>

File:TokyoMetro9000.JPG|Tokyo Metro 9000 series

File:Series-SR2000-2802.jpg|Saitama Rapid Railway 2000 series

File:Tokyu-Series3000-3813.jpg|Tokyu 3000 series

File:Tokyu-Series5080-5187F 8cars.jpg|Tokyu 5080 series

File:Tokyu-railway-3122F-20221119-150646.jpg|Tokyu 3020 series

File:Sagami-Railway-21000-21106F.jpg|Sotetsu 21000 series

</gallery>

Future plans

On 28 January 2022, Tokyo Metro announced that a spur line from Shirokane-takanawa to Shinagawa would be built. The extension is expected to cost and scheduled to begin revenue service in the mid-2030s. It is intended to increase connections to and from the Chūō Shinkansen, which is scheduled to open for service as early as 2035.

References

  • Shaw, Dennis and Morioka, Hisashi, "Tokyo Subways", published 1992 by Hoikusha Publishing
  • Namboku Line Official Website