Tokyu Shibuya station, 10 years on

Tokyo Metro 17000 series

Tokyu Toyoko line connects Shibuya in Tokyo and Yokohama, and it is one of the busiest railways in the Greater Tokyo Area. There have been through-services to Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin line, and by extension, Seibu Ikebukuro and Tobu Tojo lines since 2013. Today, Shibuya is effectively an underground station.

Tokyu 9000 series with a farewell sticker

Toyoko line was quite different until ten years ago. Before 16 March 2013, Toyoko line services did not go towards Fukutoshin line. There were some old trains that were withdrawn when the through-services commenced. Facilities at some stations looked different as well.

Shibuya station platforms had been located on this place since 1927 when Toyoko line opened. The building was dramatically refurbished in 1964 to deal with congestion and in preparation for the Tokyo Olympics. This wave-shaped roof had been known for nearly 50 years.

Shibuya station was a terminus of Toyoko line at that time so that there were bay platforms. The bay platform is not common in Tokyo because most stations are not dead-end. In central Tokyo, there are only a handful major termini that have such a feature: Asakusa (Tobu), Ikebukuro (Seibu and Tobu), Seibu-Shinjuku and Shinjuku (Keio and Odakyu).

Platforms at stations in Tokyo are generally straight, but Shibuya station platforms had tight curves, and they reminded me of stations like Cannon Street. Shibuya station was optimised for trains formed of eight coaches, roughly 160 metres (525 ft) long. It might sound long enough but actually it was not, as most trains in central Tokyo are longer than that.

Shibuya station platforms were extended again and again as trains became longer so that the platforms were narrow. No platform edge doors could have been installed here. As always, the more you went down the platform, the more you were likely to have a seat (as most people were reluctant to walk).

Shibuya station was relocated together with its adjacent station, Daikanyama (approximately a mile away). It is worth noting that the track and platform replacement work took less than four hours as the video above shows, thanks to the workers who had prepared for it for months.

The disused platforms were opened for public from 22 to 24 March 2013. A platform ticket (120 yen) was required to enter, but thousands of people visited the station to say goodbye to the 85-year-old platforms.

And then, the entire building was demolished. A skyscraper called Shibuya Stream was built on the site in 2018. It is worth noting that some viaducts are still in use for pedestrians, and I shall post another article about the ruins of them someday.