Tokyo Station

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Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station (東京駅, Tōkyō-eki^?) is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Tokyo, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district. It is the starting point and terminus for most of Japan's Shinkansen lines and is also served by many local and regional commuter lines of Japan Railways and is connected to the Tokyo Subway.

Although Tokyo Station is the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo, it is only the second-largest railway station in the city: Shinjuku Station is larger, and both Shinjuku and Ikebukuro Station handle more passengers. Tokyo Station does hold the distinction of being the highest revenue-earning station in Japan, with ¥247m ($2.13m US) in ticket sales in 2005.

The station is located at 35.6809° N 139.7675° E.

[edit] Lines

Tokyo Station from above

The following lines pass through or terminate at Tokyo Station:

• East Japan Railway Company
  • Chūō Line
  • Keihin-Tōhoku Line
  • Keiyō Line
  • Sōbu Line (including Narita Express service)
  • Tōkaidō Main Line
  • Yamanote Line
  • Yokosuka Line
  • Tōhoku Shinkansen
  • Yamagata Shinkansen
  • Akita Shinkansen
  • Jōetsu Shinkansen
  • Nagano Shinkansen
• Central Japan Railway Company
  • Tōkaidō Shinkansen
• Tokyo Metro
  • Marunouchi Line

The station is linked by a series of underground passageways to the Otemachi underground (subway) station complex served by the Tōzai, Chiyoda, Hanzomon and Mita lines.

Tokyo Station is also a major intercity bus terminal, with regular midday service to several cities in the Kantō region and overnight service to the Kansai and Tohoku regions.

[edit] Layout

Tokyo Station Marunouchi Side

The main station facade on the western side of the station is brick-built and was fashioned after Amsterdam's main station. The main station consists of 10 platforms, serving 20 tracks, raised above street level running in a north-south direction. The main concourse runs east-west below the platforms. The Shinkansen lines are on the east (or Yaesu) side of the station, along with a multi-story Daimaru department store.

Underground are the two Sōbu / Yokosuka line platforms serving four tracks (five stories below ground level) to the west of the station; the two Keiyō line platforms serving four tracks are four stories below ground some hundreds of meters to the south of the main station with moving sidewalks to serve connecting passengers. The Keiyō line serves passengers going to Tokyo Disneyland and Makuhari Messe.

The whole complex is linked by an extensive system of underground passageways which merge with surrounding commercial buildings and shopping centres.

[edit] Ground platforms

[edit] Shinkansen Platforms

[edit] Yokosuka/Sōbu Platforms

[edit] Keiyo Platforms

[edit] Tokyo Metro Platforms

[edit] History

Taxis line up in front of the Yaesu side of Tokyo Station.

Tokyo Station was opened in 1914 with the completion of a section of line linking the Tōkaidō Main Line's original terminus at Shinbashi to the Tōhoku Main Line's terminus at Ueno. The station building was designed by architect Tatsuno Kingo as a restrained celebration of Japan's costly victory in the Russo-Japanese War. (Tatsuno also designed the nearby Bank of Japan building, which is very different in appearance.)

The Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station, facing the Imperial Palace, dates back to the original 1914 opening; the Yaesu side, facing Nihonbashi, is more recent and primarily accommodates the Shinkansen.

In 1921, Prime Minister Hara Takashi was assassinated in Tokyo Station.

Much of the station was destroyed during the firebombings of 1945, including the impressive domes that had also been patterned after Amsterdam's central station. The station was significantly expanded in the 1960's to handle the new Shinkansen services and has been partially rebuilt several times since, most recently to accommodate the Shinkansen extension from Ueno.

The station complex is currently being redeveloped. The Marunouchi side will be restored and the surrounding area converted into a broad plaza extending into a walkway toward the Imperial Palace, with space for bus and taxi ranks: this construction is scheduled for completion in 2010. On the Yaesu side, the current multi-story exterior will be replaced by a much lower structure with a large canopy covering outdoor waiting and loading areas, and twin high-rise towers at each end. This project will be completed in 2007.

There are also less definite plans to build a spur from the nearby Toei Asakusa Line, which would provide Tokyo Station a second direct connection to the subway network, and also possibly provide faster connections from the station to Tokyo's airports, Haneda and Narita.

[edit] Adjacent stations

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