View topic - I'm Going To Japan

an interesting article about the usefulness, complexity, and necessity of the Tokyo subway system...quite fascinating

We�fd be nowhere without the subway system we love to hate

Each morning in Tokyo, alarm clocks ring, breakfasts are downed and, as if on cue, 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�fs 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—the subway has it all.

The Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd. carries 5.8 million passengers a day along 183.2km of track via 168 stations, while the Toei subway system transports 2.03 million passengers daily and has 109km of track and 106 stations.

Tokyo�fs first subway opened on December 30, 1927, between Asakusa and Ueno (now part of 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 Namboku).

A ninth that runs between Ikebukuro and Shibuya is scheduled for completion in 2008, and until then its official title is Line No.13.

The Authority became a special private company in 2004, changing its name to Tokyo Metro. �gThe Tokyo metropolitan and national governments are the stakeholders, but we are basically self-run,�h explains Hidemi Someya, director of international affairs for Tokyo Metro. �gWith the completion of Line No. 13, we will become a fully privatized company like JR.�h

Tokyo Metro is one of only two subway operators in the world that makes money, according to Metro officials (the other is Hong Kong). With daily average ticket revenue of \739 million, Tokyo Metro�fs projected profit for fiscal 2005 is \43.53 billion. In contrast, the four Toei lines—Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku and Oedo—remain in the red.

Toei is run wholly by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government�fs Bureau of Transportation (which also operates the buses). Toei�fs 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, says Shinobu Maruyama, a spokesman for the Bureau of Transportation.

�gThe Oedo line has only been open since 2000, and we are still paying off construction costs, so the fares need to be higher,�h he said. Another reason is that Toei lines were more expensive to build because they had to go deeper than existing Metro lines, adds the Bureau�fs Kiyomi Inoue.

One of the unique features of Tokyo�fs 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 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. �gThe current lines were decided upon by a Ministry of Transport council a long time ago,�h says Someya. �gReview meetings have been held every five years and the council believes the Tokyo network is mature and no more lines are needed.�h Certainly, construction is not cheap, when you consider how deep some stations are (Roppongi on the Oedo line is Tokyo�fs 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, says Inoue. �gWe will also expand the Asakusa line from Tokyo station to Takaracho station,�h he continues.

Overcrowding during rush hour remains a constant bane for many passengers, though Someya says the number of passengers during the morning rush has reduced slightly in the Tokyo area.
�gThe Tozai line is currently our most congested line,�h he said. �gBetween 7:50 and 8:50am, the congestion rate between Kiba and Monzen-Nakacho stations is 197 percent. The next highest is 162 percent on the Ginza line between Akasaka-Mitsuke and Tameike-Sanno. On the Tozai line, we are working on updating the signaling system which will allow for more trains.�h

For Toei, the Oedo line is becoming more congested, says Maruyama, with Shinjuku the busiest station. While Toei runs express services on the Shinjuku and Asakusa lines, Tokyo Metro does not. �gThat�fs common in New York, but they have three tracks on many lines,�h said Someya. �gWe can�ft bypass stations with only two lines.�h 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 people 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 percent) and all cars are air-conditioned.

Yu Yamada is Tokyo Metro's poster girl.

Chris Betros
In March 2000, a train on the Hibiya line derailed on a sharp curve near Naka-Meguro station, killing five and injuring 60 (the only fatalities due to accidents in the subway�fs history). With last year�fs fatal derailment of a JR train still very much on commuters�f minds, subway operators have revised their safety procedures. �gAll of our trains have the Automatic Train Control (ATC) system,�h says Someya. �gIf the train starts going too fast or if the 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.�h 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�fs 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. �gThere 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,�h said Someya. �gSo we are going to install seismometers at 31 locations this year. That means the entire network won�ft have to stop. It can be localized.�h Drills are regularly conducted for all disasters, including quakes, fires and flooding. 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, reports Someya, adding the rate has reduced in comparison with a few years ago when the economy 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�ft announce it �gbecause it would make people anxious,�h says Toei�fs Maruyama. �gIf it takes more than 30 minutes to clean things up, then we will make some sort of an announcement. That happened on December 29.�h

Crime, on the other hand, is increasing. The lowest point in the subway�fs 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 problems 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 was 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, with the last car reserved for women from the first train until 9:30am weekdays. �gThey are getting a favorable response, although there are many differing opinions, as you would expect,�h says Someya. �gIt�fs hard to expand it to lines like the Ginza and Marunouchi because they only have six carriages, whereas the other lines have 10.�h 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.

�gThe most common complaints we get are from passengers dissatisfied with our employees�f attitude,�h said Someya. �gOthers 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.�h

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. �gShe projects the image of being �eon the move�f and she is popular with men and women,�h says
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.

�gSince we are moving toward privatization, we can concentrate on affiliated business to use the space in stations for business opportunities,�h explains Someya. Tokyo Metro is expanding into property development along the lines of Shibuya Mark City, a joint venture with the Tokyu and Keio train companies. Following the success of advertisements on the outside of buses, the same idea is slowly catching on for trains. Several trains on Toei�fs Oedo line promote Microsoft Windows on the outside, while Tokyo Metro is fielding requests from clients who want to wrap the cars with advertisements.

Finally, if you lose something on the subway, don�ft despair. They might have it in their mountain of lost and found items. Shibuya is the number one 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, says Someya. Umbrellas are, of course, the most common item, with 72,243 being left behind in 2005. �gLast year on February 15, when it rained in the morning only, over 1,500 umbrellas were left behind,�h he says. Commuter passes are next, then bags, gloves, cell phones, keys, hats and so on. And for something unusual, Someya reports: �gWell, someone did leave a rugby tackling dummy and a one-meter-long fan.�h