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2019.12.17

“Tokyo Review 053″ Shibuya area-7 Shibuya Station with a Cross Structure

“Tokyo Review 053” Shibuya area-7
Shibuya Station with a Cross Structure

Let’s go back in history a little. Shibuya Station opened in 1885, before the Yamanote Line became a loop. Shibuya Station was a small freight-based station on the Shinagawa Line that connects Akabane to Shinagawa, operated by Japan Railway Co. Ltd. (the predecessor of JNR). The surrounding area has a certain number of villages along the roads, and the average number of passengers throughout the year after opening was only 34 people. However, after that, trams, private railways, and subways enter Shibuya one after another and Shibuya has been growing into a major hub station in southwestern Tokyo.

A tram named Tamaden (Tamagawa Electric Railway) had extended the line from Dogen-Zaka to Shibuya in 1907. It connected with another tram named Aoyama Line coming down from Miyamasu-Zaka in 1923 at the current Hachiko square. Tokyo Yokohama Electric Railway (current Tokyu) had extended the Toyoko Line to Shibuya in 1927, the Teito Electric Railway Shibuya Line (current Keio Inogashira Line) as well in 1933, followed by the Tokyo High Speed Rail Shimbashi -Shibuya Line (current Tokyo Metro Ginza Line) in 1938. Tamaden was abolished in 1969, but was reborn in 1977 as the Tokyu Shin Tamagawa Line (current Denentoshi Line), and started direct operation with the Subway Hanzomon Line in 1978.

Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line was launched in 2009, and started direct operation with the undergroundized Tokyu Toyoko Line in 2013. It is this fact that turned to be the starting point for the ongoing “Shibuya Massive Redevelopment Projects”.

By the way, Shibuya Station, Shinjuku Station and Ikebukuro Station as well, is a hub station connected with the JR Yamanote Line, but its station structure is different from Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. At Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, and etc., private railways usually make a large curve and create a platform parallel to the Yamanote Line. Even at Shibuya Station, the Tokyu Toyoko Line was in the same form before the undergroundization. However, Shibuya Station has a “cross-shaped station structure”.

The Keio Inogashira Line Shibuya Station probably had no room to build a platform parallel to the Yamanote Line. Therefore the station is made parallel to Dogen-Zaka, and it is now enclosed in Shibuya Mark City which has a large depth. The Tokyo Metro Ginza Line comes up to the ground near Miyamasu-Zaka and runs on the 3rd floor level around Shibuya Station, making a platform in parallel with Miyamasu-Zaka.

Behind the fact that the Ginza Line platform being built on the 3rd floor, something like a passion of Mr. Keita Goto is hidden. Being the president of Tokyu Group, Goto had established one of the subway operators, Tokyo High-Speed Railway. He seemed to be insisted to create the Ginza Line Shibuya Station over the JR Yamanote Line to make a smooth transfer with other trains. He had bulldozed his way to purchase Tamaden and renovated their head office building to create Shibuya Station on the third-floor level. Thus, Shibuya Station has become a three-dimensional and cross-shaped station structure.

The building that includes Shibuya Station on the Ginza Line will later become the west wing of Tokyu Department Store Toyoko Store. At the end of this year, Shibuya Station on the Ginza Line will move a bit to the direction of Omote-Sando Station in preparation for the demolition of the West Wing and the construction of Shibuya Scramble Square Phase 2. However, the track that goes through the building and enters the garage located in Shibuya Mark City remains and this cross-shaped station structure is also remains even the Shibuya Massive Redevelopment Projects progress.

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