Wikipedia

Namboku Line (Tokyo Metro)

The Namboku Line (南北線, Nanboku-sen; South-North Line) 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 Line 7 Namboku Line (7号線南北線, Nana-gō-sen Nanboku-sen).

Namboku Line
A Namboku Line 9000 series train
Overview
Other nameLine 7
Native name南北線
StatusIn service
OwnerTokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
Line numberN
LocaleTokyo
Termini
Stations19
Color on map     Emerald
Service
SystemTokyo subway (Tokyo Metro)
Operator(s)Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd.
DepotŌji
Rolling stock
Daily ridership522,736 (2017)[1]
History
Opened29 November 1991; 34 years ago (1991-11-29)
Last extension2000
Technical
Line length21.3 km (13.2 mi)
Number of tracks2
Track gauge1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius160.351 m (526.09 ft)
ElectrificationOverhead line, 1,500 V DC
Operating speed80 km/h (50 mph)
Train protection systemNew CS-ATC, ATO
Maximum incline3.5%
Route map

Legend
Through-running onto Tōkyū Meguro Line
N-01
Meguro
Yamanote Line
Yamanote Line
N-02
Shirokanedai
N-03
Shirokane-takanawa
Mita Line
Mita Line
N-04
Azabu-juban
Ōedo Line
N-05
Roppongi-itchōme
N-06
Tameike-Sannō
Ginza Line
 Kokkai-gijidōmae
Chiyoda and
Marunouchi lines
Yūrakuchō Line
 Akasaka-mitsuke
Marunouchi and
Ginza lines
N-07
Nagatachō
Yūrakuchō and
Hanzōmon lines
Chūō Main Line
N-08
Yotsuya
Marunouchi, Chūō (Rapid)
and Chūō–Sōbu lines
Marunouchi Line
Shinjuku Line
N-09
Ichigaya
Yūrakuchō, Shinjuku
and Chūō–Sōbu lines
Shinjuku Line
Ōedo Line
N-10
Iidabashi
Yūrakuchō, Tōzai, Ōedo
and Chūō–Sōbu lines
Tōzai Line
Mita Line │ Yūrakuchō Line
N-11
Korakuen
Marunouchi Line
 Kasuga
Ōedo and Mita lines
Mita Line
N-12
Todaimae
N-13
Hon-komagome
N-14
Komagome
Yamanote Line
N-15
Nishigahara
N-16
Ōji
Keihin–Tōhoku and Toden Arakawa lines
N-17
Ōji-kamiya
N-18
Shimo
N-19
Akabane-iwabuchi
Through-running onto Saitama Railway Line

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 21.3 km (13.2 mi) Namboku Line is one of Tokyo Metro's newer lines, featuring advanced technology including full automatic train operation and platform screen doors.

Overview

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

The right-of-way and stations between Shirokane-Takanawa 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 (▉), and its stations are given numbers using the letter "N".

History

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Planning

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Although the line was originally approved in 1962 as Line 7 (Meguro – Iikurakatamachi – Nagatacho – Ichigaya – Komagome – Oji – Akabanecho), construction did not begin until 1986.[2]

Based on this proposal, the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) applied for a license to construct Local Railway Line No. 7 between Kami-Osaki (Meguro) and Akabane-cho (present-day Kirigaoka), a distance of 22.5 km. Although the terminus designated in the urban planning route was Iwabuchi-cho (present-day Akabane-Iwabuchi), the application extended the proposed line to Kirigaoka (then known as Akabane-cho 5-chome) to allow for the operation of a spur line to a train depot for passenger services.[2] However, on June 4, 1964, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also applied for a license to construct Local Railway Line No. 7 between Meguro and Akabane, a distance of 21.0 km. This resulted in a competitive situation between the two proposed routes.

In the 1972 Report No. 15 of the Urban Transportation Council, the proposed extension toward Saitama Prefecture, which had previously been designated for future consideration, was revised to run between the central part of Kawaguchi and the eastern part of Urawa.[2] Subsequently, the 1985 Report No. 7 of the Transportation Policy Council called for the section between Meguro and Kiyoshōkō-mae (present-day Shirokane-takanawa Station) to be shared with Line 6 (the Toei Mita Line). The proposed route within Saitama Prefecture was also revised to run via central Hatogaya, Higashi-Kawaguchi, and onward to eastern Urawa. Of these proposed routes, the section between Meguro and Akabane-Iwabuchi was progressively opened as the Namboku Line. The section between Akabane-Iwabuchi and Urawa-Misono subsequently opened as the Saitama Rapid Railway Line.[2]

Although the line had been planned since the 1960s, the project was temporarily suspended due to issues surrounding the planned train depot in Nishigaoka, Kita, Tokyo. On April 20, 1984, 22 years after the initial license application, the full-line railway construction license was finally granted. Construction began in 1986, and the line opened in stages beginning in 1991, with the entire line completed in 2000. As a relatively late addition to Tokyo's railway network, the Namboku Line is characterized by its generally deep underground stations.[2]

Under the original construction plan, the first phase was to cover the section between Komagome and Akabane-Iwabuchi, while the second phase was to cover the section between Meguro and Komagome. However, the second phase was subsequently divided into two sections: Tameike-Sanno–Komagome (Phase 2-1) and Meguro–Tameike-Sanno (Phase 2-2). As a result, construction was ultimately carried out in three sections.

Construction of the first-phase section proceeded without major delays. The second-phase sections, however, were delayed by the excavation of archaeological sites, including Edo-period remains discovered between Tameike-Sanno and Iidabashi,[2] as well as opposition and NIMBYs from local residents, particularly in the vicinity of Shirokanedai Station. Consequently, the planned date for completion of the entire line was substantially postponed, from September 1995 to September 2000.[2]

Opening

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The first segment from Komagome to Akabane-Iwabuchi 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.[3]

The extension to Tameike-Sannō was completed in September 1997, and the last stretch from Tameike-Sanno to Meguro was completed on 26 September 2000, when through service to the Tokyu Meguro Line started.[4] 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.[5]

Effective the timetable revision on 18 March 2023, through services onto the Sagami Railway commenced courtesy of the Tokyu and Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line.[6] Most southbound services past Hiyoshi continue as far south as Shin-Yokohama and Ebina.


Stations

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List of Namboku line stations
  • All stations are located in Tokyo.
  • All services stop at all stations.
Station
No.		 Station Japanese Distance (km) Transfers Location
Between
stations		 From N-01
↑ Through-services to/from: ↑
N-01 Meguro 目黒[* 1] – 0.0
Shinagawa
N-02 Shirokanedai 白金台[* 2] 1.3 1.3 Mita Line (I-02; shared) Minato
N-03 Shirokane-takanawa 白金高輪[* 2] 1.0 2.3 Mita Line (I-03; shared)
N-04 Azabu-juban 麻布十番 1.3 3.6 Ōedo Line (E-22)
N-05 Roppongi-itchome 六本木一丁目 1.2 4.8 Hibiya Line (Roppongi: H-04)
N-06 Tameike-sanno 溜池山王 0.9 5.7
Chiyoda
N-07 Nagatacho 永田町 0.9 6.6
N-08 Yotsuya 四ツ谷 1.3 7.9
Shinjuku
N-09 Ichigaya 市ケ谷 1.0 8.9
N-10 Iidabashi 飯田橋 1.1 10.0
N-11 Korakuen 後楽園 1.4 11.4
Bunkyō
N-12 Todaimae 東大前 1.3 12.7  
N-13 Hon-komagome 本駒込 0.9 13.6  
N-14 Komagome 駒込 1.4 15.0 Yamanote Line (JY10) Toshima
N-15 Nishigahara 西ケ原 1.4 16.4   Kita
N-16 Ōji 王子 1.0 17.4
N-17 Oji-kamiya 王子神谷 1.2 18.6  
N-18 Shimo 志茂 1.6 20.2  
N-19 Akabane-iwabuchi 赤羽岩淵[* 3] 1.1 21.3 Saitama Railway Line (SR19)
↓ Through-services to/from Hatogaya, Urawa-Misono via Saitama Railway Line ↓

Rolling stock

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Future plans

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On 28 January 2022, Tokyo Metro announced that a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) spur line from Shirokane-takanawa to Shinagawa would be built.[7] The extension is expected to cost ¥131 billion (2021) (equivalent to ¥142.46 billion or US$941.14 million in 2024)[8] 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

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  1. ↑ Meguro is shared by Toei, Tokyo Metro, and Tokyu Corporation; Tokyu Corporation manages the station.
  2. 1 2 Shirokanedai and Shirokane-Takanawa are shared by Toei and Tokyo Metro; Tokyo Metro manages both stations.
  3. ↑ Akabane-iwabuchi is shared by Tokyo Metro and Saitama Rapid Railway; Tokyo Metro manages the station.
  • Shaw, Dennis and Morioka, Hisashi, "Tokyo Subways", published 1992 by Hoikusha Publishing
  1. ↑ Tokyo Metro station ridership in 2017 Train Media (sourced from Tokyo Metro) Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "南北線建設史 - メトロアーカイブアルバム". メトロアーカイブアルバム - メトロアーカイブアルバムは、これまでに整理・保存してきた貴重な写真を使って東京の地下鉄の歴史を紹介していくサイトです。 (in Japanese). 1 September 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 東急目黒線・東京メトロ南北線・埼玉高速鉄道線で8両編成の運転開始 [8-car trains begin operating on the Tokyu Meguro Line, Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, and Saitama Rapid Railway Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "開業区間の運賃及び相互直通運転に伴う運行形態を決定". tokyometro.go.jp. 30 August 2000. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "「営団地下鉄」から「東京メトロ」へ" [From "Teito Rapid Transit Authority" to "Tokyo Metro"]. Tokyo Metro Online. 8 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "～神奈川県央地域及び横浜市西部から東京・埼玉に至る広域的な鉄道ネットワークの形成～" [-Formation of a wide-area railway network from central Kanagawa Prefecture and western Yokohama to Tokyo and Saitama-] (PDF). tokyometro.jp. 27 January 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  7. ↑ "有楽町線延伸（豊洲・住吉間）及び南北線延伸（品川・白金高輪間）の鉄道事業許可を申請しました。" [Yurakucho Line extension (between Toyosu and Sumiyoshi) and Namboku Line extension (between Shinagawa and Shirokane Takanawa) application for a Business Permit] (PDF). Tokyo Metro (in Japanese). 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  8. ↑ 1868 to 1938: Williamson J., Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Japan 1831–1938, 1939 to 1945: Bank of Japan Historical Statistics Afterwards, Japanese Historical Consumer Price Index numbers based on data available from the Japanese Statistics Bureau. Japan Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) – 1970 to 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2014. For between 1946 and 1970, from "昭和戦後史". Retrieved 24 January 2015.
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