Tokyo Metro have announced that the new station building and platform for the Ginza Line at Shibuya Station will open for business on January 3rd 2020. First opened in 1938, the Ginza Line Shibuya Station is a busy transportation hub with around 220,000 passengers per day in 2018. Work to relocate the station building has been ongoing since 2009 and is just one part of the ongoing redevelopment projects in and around the Shibuya Station complex. In this case, the Ginza Line stop’s new location should make transfers easier with the other multiple rail lines that make use of the Shibuya Station complex.
The new Shibuya Station platform
The new concourse of the Ginza Line at Shibuya Station
The new Ginza Line station building is located in the main area of Shibuya, above Meiji-dori Avenue and in front of Shibuya Station’s East Exit. In keeping with the ever-changing cityscape around Shibuya Station, the design of the building incorporates near-future elements, but it has a light and fresh appearance when viewed from the ground. The new station platforms will be 12m wide, and the station boasts barrier-free facilities including elevator access and multipurpose toilets. Inside, the unique arches of its M-shaped roof create a more spacious platform by removing the need for pillars. The white interiors also give the building a bright and cheerful atmosphere.
The exterior of the station building
In order to complete the relocation of the station and reroute the Ginza Line tracks, there will be a partial suspension of services on the Ginza Line from Saturday December 28 2019 to Thursday January 2 2020. During this period there will be no services between Shibuya Station and Omotesando Station and between Aoyama-itchome Station and Tameike-sanno Station. However, services will continue between Omotesando Station and Aoyama-itchome Station and between Tameike-sanno Station and Asakusa Station. The new Ginza Line platform at Shibuya Station will then resume full services from the first departure on January 3rd.
The entrance from Meiji-dori Avenue
To learn more about rail services at Shibuya Station visit our complete transportation guide at https://www.shibuyastation.com/
Article by Michael Lambe. Images courtesy of Tokyo Metro. All rights reserved.
