By DAISUKE MAEDA/ Staff Writer
January 23, 2020 at 17:10 JST
A JR Yamanote Line train in Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Train services in the metropolitan area will run much later during the Tokyo Olympic Games, instead of ending around midnight, to ensure spectators get home.
Nineteen railway and subway operators will extend late-night services on about 60 lines by up to two hours until around 2 a.m. in some cases, according to a Jan. 22 announcement by organizers of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and the Tokyo metropolitan government.
The Olympics will start on July 24 and end Aug. 9.
The times of last train runs will vary. Some departures will be extended by around 30 minutes, and others by as much as two hours.
On the JR Yamanote Line that loops around central Tokyo, trains will run in a clockwise course every 10 minutes after the current last departure. The day's final run from JR Osaki Station will be extended by about 1 hour to around 1:40 a.m.
The last train on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line bound for Ueno Station will depart from Shibuya Station around 1:50 a.m., or about 90 minutes later than usual.
On the Tokyu Toyoko Line, the last train bound for Yokohama will depart from Shibuya Station around 1:30 a.m., about 1 hour and 10 minutes later than it does now.
The Rinkai Line, which services the Tokyo waterfront area where many Olympic venues are located, will extend its last train departure from Shin-Kiba Station to around 2 a.m. compared with 11:53 p.m. at present.
The last departure from Yokohama Station on the Yokohama Municipal Subway's Blue Line will be around 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 4 and 7. The scheduled departure time is the latest among all rail operators.
Olympic competitions will finish after 11 p.m. at eight venues, including basketball, volleyball and soccer. Games' organizers had requested railway and subway companies to go the extra mile to ensure spectators will be able to get home.
Late-night train services will be also provided in Hokkaido as well as Miyagi and Ibaraki prefectures during soccer competition days and on Aug. 25 and Sept. 6 when the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paralympics will be held.
Organizers are also contemplating more train runs during daytime hours with more train cars. A detailed schedule of train runs is scheduled to be released around April.
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