The Beginnings of the Yokohama Municipal Subway

In July 1966, the establishment of Yokohama’s subway was formalized after the Urban Transit Enquiry Committee submitted its findings. Yokohama is defined by some of its well-known geological features: its soft ground and the use of reclaimed land in expanding the city’s footprint. Owing to these circumstances, the opinion was long held that building a subway in Yokohama would be impossible, yet construction went ahead despite the unfavorable conditions, with numerous construction methods employed to gradually overcome the soft ground. The construction of the Yokohama Subway made considerable contributions to the development of civil engineering techniques.

The Blue Line from Azamino to Shonandai

Replacing the streetcar that had served the people of Yokohama up until that point, and sounding a whistle that evoked the sound of steamships, the Blue Line commenced operation along the 5.2km from Kamio-Oka Station to Isezakicho-machi Station in December 1972. The line directly connected the heart of Yokohama with its urban subcenter, and in August 1999, the opening of the expanded route comprising Totsuka Station and Shonandai brought the total length to 40.4km, and brought the total number of stations to 32. As of 2015 the Blue Line is used by roughly 520,000 passengers per day, and represents a vital aspect of Yokohama’s transportation infrastructure.

The Green Line from Hiyoshi to Nakayama

The Green Line was opened in March 2008 in response to the growing infrastructure demands of Yokohama’s northern districts, as well as the need to establish infrastructure to service the northern Kohoku New Town area. The 13km line services 10 stations from Hiyoshi Station, passing through Kohoku New Town, to Nakayama Station, and forms part of the proposed Yokohama Loop Railway. The route was used by over 130,000 passengers on a daily basis in 2015, and has become a mainstay of Yokohama’s urban transit system.

Offering a Pleasant Transport Service

Yokohama Municipal Subway is committed to providing a safe, reliable, and comfortable transport service. Progress continues to be made regarding the provision of a range of user-friendly facilities, including elevator access from platform to street level at every station, air conditioning in station buildings, wheelchair accessible toilets, and multipurpose toilets equipped with ostomate facilities. Furthermore, so that elderly passengers, persons with disabilities, and pregnant passengers are able to comfortably use the subway, a range of priority spaces have been introduced on trains, including priority seats, designated wheelchair spaces, and designated stroller spaces. In addition to this, Wi-Fi and WiMAX is available in all stations, with ongoing efforts to improve these communication services.

For Safety and Peace of Mind

In order to ensure safe operation, a number of automated train and power management systems are in place, including Automatic Train Operation (ATO), Automatic Train Control (ATC), and Centralized Train Control (CTC). As part of measures to improve platform safety, moveable platform barriers were introduced in 2007 across all stations. These measures help guarantee the safety of passengers using the subway.