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Tokyo Metro Yūrakuchō Line
Lineup of Yūrakuchō Line trains in 2006 (10000, 07, and 7000 series from left)
Info
Type	Rapid transit
Locale	Tokyo
Termini	Wakōshi Shin-Kiba
Stations	24
Operation
Opened	1974
Owner	Tokyo Metro
Depot(s)	Wakō, Shin-Kiba
Rolling stock	7000 series, 10000 series
Technical
Line length	28.3 km
Track gauge	1,067 mm
Electrification	Overhead catenary 1,500 V DC
Route map

The Yūrakuchō Line (有楽町線, Yūrakuchō-sen^?) is a mass rapid transit line in Tokyo, Japan, part of the Tokyo Metro system. The 28.3 km line connects Wakōshi Station in Wakō, Saitama with Shin-Kiba Station in Kōtō, Tokyo. On maps and signboards, the line is shown in gold, often taken as yellow; stations carry the letter Y and a two-digit number.

The proper name as given in an annual report of the Ministry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport^[1] is Line 8 Yūrakuchō Line (8号線有楽町線, Hachi-gō-sen Yūrakuchō-sen^?), but in the reports of Tokyo urban transportation plan, it is more complicated. The line number assigned to the section south from Kotake-Mukaihara to Shin-Kiba is Line 8, but that of north of Kotake-Mukaihara to Wakōshi is Line 13, which indicates the section is a portion of Fukutoshin Line which shares the same number.

[edit] Operation

The Yūrakuchō Line has inter-running counterparts on its northern side, both of which are "major" Japanese private railway companies in Greater Tokyo. One is the Tōbu Railway at Wakōshi, north to Shinrinkōen. The other is the Seibu Railway at Kotake-Mukaihara with its bypass line Seibu Yūrakuchō Line connecting to its main Ikebukuro Line, through trains north to Kotesashi or Hannō.

Semi-express (準急) services were introduced on the Yūrakuchō Line from June 14, 2008. These operate twice hourly between Wakōshi and Shin-Kiba. Between Wakōshi and Ikebukuro, semi-express trains stop only at Kotake-Mukaihara; between Ikebukuro and Shin-Kiba, trains stop at all stations. The semi-express services run between rush hours during the week, and more frequently on weekends and holidays.

[edit] History

• October 30, 1974: Ikebukuro - Ginza-itchōme opens.
• March 27, 1980: Ginza-itchōme - Shintomichō opens.
• June 24, 1983: Eidan Narimasu (present Chikatetsu Narimasu) - Ikebukuro
• October 1, 1983: Seibu Railway Seibu Yūrakuchō Line Kotake-Mukaihara - Shin-Sakuradai opened, through operation.
• August 25, 1987: Wakōshi - Eidan Narimasu. Through service to Tōbu Tōjō Line.
• June 8, 1988: Shintomichō - Shin-kiba, current line completed.
• March 18, 1993: 07 series EMUs introduced.
• December 7, 1994: Quadruple-track from Kotake-Mukaihara to Ikebukuro. New double track section was named "Yūrakuchō New Line", all trains made Ikebukuro their terminus, and did not stop at Senkawa nor Kanamechō. Through service from Shin-Kinba or Ikebukuro (on the New Line) to Nerima on Seibu Yūrakuchō Line due to completion of the line.
• March 26, 1998: Through operation to Seibu Ikebukuro Line .
• April 1, 2004: According to its privatization, the management subject changed from Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA, Eidan) to Tokyo Metro.
• October 31, 2005: Women-only cars introduced.
• September 1, 2006: 10000 series introduced.
• May 3, 2008: Limited Express "Bay Resort" (operated first from/to Odakyu Line)
• June 14, 2008: Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line began service. Yurakuchō New Line annexed to a part of Fukutoshin Line, and Yurakuchō Line share double tracks with Fukutoshin Line between Wakōshi and Kotake-Mukaibara. Semi-Express service started.
• October 2008: CS-ATC enabled on the Yurakuchō Line.

[edit] Future developments

A branch line is planned from Toyosu Station, heading north via Kameari Station (on the Jōban Line) to Noda in northwest Chiba Prefecture.

[edit] Facts

• Track: Double
• Protection system: Automatic (Eidan CS-ATC)
• According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, as of June 2009 the Yūrakuchō Line is the fifth most crowded subway line in Tokyo, at its peak running at 173% capacity between Higashi-Ikebukuro and Gokokuji stations.^[2]

[edit] Rolling stock

All types are formed as 10-car sets.

[edit] Tōkyō Metro

• 7000 series (from 1974)
• 10000 series (from September 2006)

Tōkyō Metro 10000 series

[edit] Other operators

• Seibu 6000 and 6050 series (Not all sets are permitted to run on Yūrakuchō Line tracks)
• Tōbu 9000 series x 8
• Tōbu 9050 series x 2
• Tōbu 50070 series (from July 2007)
• Odakyū 60000 series MSE (Romancecar, as Limited Express "Bay Resort", occasionally)

[edit] Stations

[edit] Train depots

‎7000 series undergoing inspection at Shin-Kiba Depot

• Wakō Depot (和光検車区)
• Shin-Kiba Depot (新木場検車区)
  • Responsible for minor examinations. For major ones, EMUs are forwarded to Ayase Works (綾瀬工場) on the Chiyoda Line via an underground connecting line.
• Shin-Kiba Car Renewal (新木場CR)
  • Specializes in refurbishment. Also for Chiyoda Line and Hanzōmon Line cars.

[edit] See also

Tokyo portal

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tokyo Metro website (English)