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Linear Metro Promotion

History of Linear Metro Promotion

The subway is an important means of public transport system in the city, supporting the livelihood of citizens, promoting regional development, activating the city and enhancing the city functions. In addition, as subway is mostly constructed under the road, effective utilization of land is attained and it does not produce much noise nor affect the urban landscape.
So subway is suitable for urban development and promoted worldwide as an attractive system. However, the subway construction requires large sums of money and long-term planning and the development of subway in each city is rather slow due to rising construction costs or route setting in recent years.
Therefore, low cost subway in accordance with the transport demand is required and a linear motor driven system, "Linear Metro" has been developed.
Today we have subways in 10 major cities in Japan with 11 operators and subway development will be continuing for the future. On the other hand, in the regional hub cities, traffic congestion in the city center is intense with an increase in automobile traffic and the environment is degraded due to the exhaust gas and noise. To cope with these problems, the introduction of public transport has been studied. However there are various problems such as what system has to be constructed or route setting or acquisition of construction funds
As a result of the practical research for three years from Fiscal 1985, we confirmed that low-cost subway "Linear Metro" that has been developed as a public transport is suitable for regional hub city as a semi-main metropolitan line or branch line. For this reason, in order to promote the construction of linear motor driven metro in the regional hub cities as well as metropolitan cities, the Japan Subway Association (Hereinafter referred to as the "Association") established the "linear Metro Promotion Headquarters" within the association in October 1988. We are considering the introduction of Linear Metro as a public transport not only in the ordinance-designated cities but also other cities where the construction of public transport is considered or expected in the future.

History from practical application of linear metro to introduction

1979 Investigation and study of small subway system
● "A Study of the structure (standard small subway system) fit for the urban traffic demand "
The Japan Subway Association
1981 Technology development started
● "Study of small section subway train for the linear motor system", "Study of the train and track for linear motor system".
The Japan Railway Engineering Association
1984 The start of the survey for practical use
● "Research for the study on the practical application of the linear motor driven small metro"
Ministry of Transport & the Japan Subway Association
1985 Promotion of practical research and development
● " Research and development for low cost subway" (Practical study of the linear motor driven small subway)
Ministry of Transport & the Japan Subway Association
1988 Demonstrate the practical use of "linear Metro"
Decision was made to adapt "Linear Metro" for Osaka Municipal Subway Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line in September 1988 and for Tokyo Toei Subway Line 12 in December 1988
1990Osaka Municipal Subway Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line between Kyobashi - Tsurumi Ryokuchi opened in March 1990.
1991Tokyo Toei subway line number12 between Nerima-Hikarigaoka opened in December 1991.
1993Decision was made to adapt "Linear Metro" for Kobe Municipal Subway coastline in April 1993.
1994Decision was made to adapt "Linear Metro" for Fukuoka City Subway line 3 in January 1994.
Decision was made to adapt "Linear Metro" for Yokohama Municipal Subway line 4 in March 1996.
1996Osaka Municipal Subway Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line between Shinsaibashi - Kyobashi opened in December 1996.
Osaka Municipal Subway Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line between Taisho-Shinsaibashi and Tsurumi Ryokuchi, and Kadoma -minami opened.
1997Tokyo Toei Line 12 between Shinjuku and Nerima opened in December 1997.
Tokyo Toei Oedo Line between Shinjuku and Kokuritsu-kyogijyo opened
in April 2000.
2000Toei Oedo line between Tocho-mae and Kokuritsu-kyogijyo opened in December 2000
2001Kobe Municipal Subway coastline between Shin-Nagata and Sannomiya-Hanatokei-mae opened in July 2001
2005Fukuoka City Subway Line 3 between Hashimoto and Tenjin-minami opened in February 2005.
2006Osaka Municipal Subway line 8 between Itakano and Imazato opened in December 2006.
2008Yokohama Municipal Subway Green Line between Hiyoshi and Nakayama opened in March 2008.
2015Sendai City Subway Tozai Line between Yagiyama Zoological Park and Arai opened in December 2015.

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