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Hibiya Line
From Virtual Japan
The Hibiya Line is a high speed train line in Tokyo. It was the third subway line built in Tokyo, after the Ginza Line (first) and the Marunouchi Line (second). The route is slightly longer than the Ginza line at 20.3 km, but it is still one of the smaller lines as it operates solely in Tokyo. It is owned and operated by Tokyo Metro.
History
With the success of the previous two lines and the need to relieve some of the congestion, the Hibiya Line started in the works in 1957 by the Ministry of Transportation. Named after Hibiya Park (which is a park above part of the subway line), the construction of the track began in 1959 and the first section was completed in 1962. The next section was completed shortly thereafter in early 1964, while the final segment was completed in August of 1964 in preparation for the Olympic Games.
The Hibiya Line was one of the targets of the Sarin Gas incident in 1995. The Hibiya Line was privatized by Tokyo Metro in 2004.
Line Information
The Hibiya line has a maximum speed of only 80 km/h, making it one of the slower train lines in Tokyo, traveling at the same speed of the old Ginza Line. The Line is represented on the map by silver colors, as well as an “H” (not to be confused with the Hanzomon Line, which is represented by a Z). The Hibiya line only uses one type of vehicle, the 03 series, which is an eight car train. It travels to 21 different stations, from Meguro to Adachi. In order, the Hibiya line travels to the following districts: Meguro, Shibuya, Minato, Chiyoda, Chuo, Chiyoda (again), Taito, Arakawa and Adachi.
The Hibiya Line had women only cars that ran from 7:30 to 9, but due to the way several of the stations are organized, these cars are having problems, since certain cars are smaller than others and quickly become more packed. There are rumblings that the women only cars will be cancelled in the near future.