Photo/Illutration An artist's rendition of a commercial complex planned under brick arches for elevated railway tracks in central Tokyo (Provided by East Japan Railway Co.)

Knocking back cheap drinks around JR Shinbashi Station under the arches of elevated railway tracks is a time-honored tradition for Tokyo's so-called salarymen.

The railway companies that own the structures, home to a strip of bustling casual bars, are looking to create an upscale image just several blocks away ahead of the opening of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The refurbishing work is intended to convert the smoky cavernous spaces created in the Meiji Era (1868-1912) to a swanky commercial complex that can serve as a symbol of the capital over the next 100 years.

The project is being undertaken by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) and Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai).

While the archway structures will remain as they are, work will start soon to develop the interiors of the commercial complex measuring 10,000 square meters.

In early summer of 2020, the companies plan to open a sprawling mall beneath the rails between JR Yurakucho Station and Shinbashi Station.

JR East’s Hibiya Okuroji section of the complex will accommodate 50 shops, including bars, cafes and shops for fashion items, while JR Tokai’s Hibiya Gourmet Zone will feature six restaurants.

The mall will open under the tracks along a 300-meter stretch between the Imperial Hotel Tower and the Tokyo Electric Power Co. headquarters.

The area comprises the brick archway built in 1910 for conventional trains and the base of tracks of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, which started operations in 1964. It had housed restaurants, storehouses and other facilities.

The spaces under the elevated tracks will be expanded, and five exits installed on the side of the Hibiya district so that visitors can walk around the complex more freely.

Work to enhance earthquake resistance was completed at the existing structures in March.