Akihabara Station

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Coordinates: 35°41′54″N 139°46′25″E / 35.69824, 139.773731

Akihabara Station
秋葉原駅
Central entrance to Akihabara station.
Location
Prefecture Tokyo
(See other stations in Tokyo)
Ward Chiyoda
Neighborhood etc. 1 Soto-Kanda (JR Station)
Kanda-Sakumacho (Tokyo Metro)
Kanda-Hanaokacho (Tsukuba Express)
History
Year opened 1890
Rail services
Line(s)
JR East
Keihin-Tōhoku Line
Yamanote Line
Chūō-Sōbu Line
Tokyo Metro
Hibiya Line
Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company
Tsukuba Express

Akihabara Station (秋葉原駅 akihabara-eki?) is located in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward. It is at the centre of the famous Akihabara shopping district specialising in electronic goods.

Contents

[edit] History

Akihabara Station was opened in November 1890 as a freight terminal linked to Ueno Station station via tracks following the course of the modern day Yamanote Line.

It was opened to passenger traffic in 1925 following the construction of the section of track linking Ueno with Shinbashi via Tokyo station and the completion of the Yamanote Line. The upper level platforms were added in 1932 with the opening of an extension to the Sōbu Line from its old terminal at Ryōgoku to Ochanomizu, making Akihabara into an important transfer station for passengers from the east of Tokyo and Chiba.

Signage of Akihabara Station
Signage of Akihabara Station

The huge growth in commuter traffic following the Second World War caused considerable congestion and was only relieved with the construction of the Sōbu line tunnel linking Kinshichō with Tokyo, bypassing Akihabara.

The Hibiya Line subway station was opened on May 31, 1962 with the line's extension from Naka-Okachimachi to Ningyōchō.

On August 24, 2005, the underground terminus of the new Tsukuba Express Line opened at Akihabara. The entire station complex, including the JR station, was also refurbished and enlarged in preparation for the opening of the Tsukuba Express.[1]

[edit] Lines

JR Akihabara Station Showa Dori Entrance
JR Akihabara Station Showa Dori Entrance

JR East:

Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line Entrance #3
Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line Entrance #3

Tokyo Metro :

Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company:

The above-ground section of the station is cross-shaped, with the Chūō-Sōbu Line tracks running from east to west, and the Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku Line (and Tōhoku Shinkansen, which does not stop at Akihabara) from north to south.

[edit] Around the Station

The main attraction is the Akihabara electronics retail district to the north and west of the station.

[edit] Layout

[edit] JR East

  • There are 2 island platforms with 4 tracks for the Yamanote Line and the Keihin-Tohoku Line on the 2nd level, and 2 side platforms with 2 tracks for the Sobu Line Local Service on the 4th level.
1 Keihin-Tohoku Line northbound for Ueno, Tabata and Ōmiya
2 Yamanote Line inner track for Ueno, Tabata and Ikebukuro
3 Yamanote Line outer track for Tokyo, Shinagawa and Shibuya
4 Keihin-Tohoku Line southbound for Tokyo, Shinagawa and Yokohama
5 Sōbu Line Local Service westbound for Ochanomizu, Shinjuku, Nakano and Mitaka
6 Sōbu Line Local Service eastbound for Kinshichō, Funabashi and Chiba

[edit] Tokyo Metro

1 Hibiya Line for Ginza, Kasumigaseki, Naka-Meguro, Hiyoshi and Kikuna
2 Hibiya Line for Ueno, Kita-Senju, Kita-Koshigaya, Kita-Kasukabe and Tōbu Dōbutsu Kōen

[edit] Tsukuba Express

1, 2 Tsukuba Express for Minami-Nagareyama, Moriya and Tsukuba

[edit] Adjacent stations

« Service »
JR East
Yamanote Line
Kanda - Okachimachi
Keihin-Tohoku Line
Tokyo Rapid Ueno
Kanda Local Okachimachi
Sōbu Line Local Service
Asakusabashi - Ochanomizu
Tokyo Metro
Hibiya Line (H-15)
Kodenmachō (H-14) - Naka-Okachimachi (H-16)
Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company
Tsukuba Express (01)
Terminus   Rapid   Shin-Okachimachi (02)
Terminus   Semi Rapid   Shin-Okachimachi (02)
Terminus   Local   Shin-Okachimachi (02)

[edit] Notes and references