Tokyo Subway
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The Tokyo Subway (地下鉄 chikatetsu) is one of the world's most extensive metro/subway systems. The two primary networks are operated by
- Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd (formerly Teito Rapid Transit Authority [Eidan]), 8 lines. The lines are called Tokyo Metro in English. Minimum price for one ride: 160 yen.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei), 4 lines. The lines are called Toei Subway in English. Minimum price for one ride: 170 yen.
Several other railways in the capital, notably the Tokyo Waterfront Railway, also qualify as metro (subway) by most definitions.
On April 1, 2004, the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) was privatized and renamed the Tokyo Metro Co. Ltd (東京地下鉄株式会社, Tōkyō Chikatetsu K.K.). The company also uses the name Tokyo Metro (東京メトロ) in Japanese for promotional purposes.
The privatization affected only the TRTA, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government continues to operate its own Toei lines separately. (The word toei (都営) means "metropolitan-operated.")
The separate administration of two metro systems in the same city causes several inconveniences for customers:
- The same ticket cannot be used on both systems. An additional 90 or 100 yen is charged to switch to the other system regardless of the length of the ride.
- The two systems represent the metro network differently in station, train and customer information diagrams. For example, the Toei map represents the Toei Oedo Line as a circle in the centre, implying a key function for Tokyo's whole public transport system; the Tokyo Metro's map saves the the central ring line for the JR Yamanote Line.
External links
- Tokyo Metro website (http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/)
- Tokyo Metro map in English (http://www.tokyometro.jp/network/pdf/rosen_eng.pdf) (PDF)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation website (information on Toei lines) (http://www.kotsu.metro.tokyo.jp/english/)de:U-Bahn Tokio