Tokyo Station (東京駅; -eki) is a train station located in the centre of Tokyo in the Marunouchi (丸の内) business district near the Imperial Palace grounds and somewhat to the north of the Ginza (銀座) commercial district. It is the starting point and terminus for all of Japan's Shinkansen lines and is also served by many local and regional commuter lines. Unusually for a major Japanese station it is not linked to any private railway lines.
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2 Layout 3 History |
The following lines pass through or terminate at Tokyo Station:
Lines
Additionally Tokyo Station is served by the Eidan Marunouchi
undergrund (subway) line (営団丸ノ内線). It is linked by a series of underground passageways
to the Otemachi underground (subway) station (大手町駅)
complex served by the Tōzai (東西線),
Chiyoda (千代田線), Hanzomon (半蔵門線) and Mita (三田線) lines.
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen line is operated by the JR Tōkai group, all other lines by JR East Japan.
Narita Express (成田エクスプレス) airport trains from Ikebukuro (池袋), Shinjuku (新宿) and Yokohama (横浜) call at the Yokosuka line platforms.
The main station consists of 10 platforms raised above street level
running in a north-south direction.
The main station facade on the western side of the
station is brick-built and was fashioned after Amsterdam's main station. The main concourse runs east-west below the platforms.
The Shinkansen lines are on the east side of the station.
The Sōbu / Yokosuka line platforms are below ground to the west of the
station; the Keiyo line platforms are below ground somewhat to the
south of the main station. The whole complex is linked by an
extensive system of underground passageways which merge with
surrounding commercial buildings and shopping centres.
Tokyo Station was opened in 1914 with the completion of
a section of line linking the Tokaido Main Line's original terminus
at Shinbashi (新橋) to the Tōhoku Main Line's terminus at Ueno (上野). Much of the station was destroyed during the firebombings of 1945, including an impressive dome that had also been patterned after Amsterdam's station. The station was significantly expanded in the 1960's to handle the new Shinkansen services; recently, it has become so overcrowded that JR has had to extend Shinkansen service to Shinagawa (品川).
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.Layout
History