Nagoya Municipal Subway Explained

Nagoya Municipal Subway
Native Name:名古屋市営地下鉄
Nagoya Shiei Chikatetsu
Locale:Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Transit Type:Rapid Transit
Lines:6
Stations:87
Ridership:1,171,289[1]
Operator:Nagoya City Transportation Bureau
System Length:93.3km (58miles)
Track Gauge: (Higashiyama and Meijō/Meikō Lines)
(Tsurumai, Sakura-dōri, and Kamiiida Lines)
El:600 V DC third rail (Higashiyama and Meijō/Meikō Lines)
1,500 V DC overhead lines (Tsurumai, Sakura-dōri, and Kamiiida Lines)
Map:
Map of Nagoya Municipal Subway
(does not include JR Central lines)

The, also referred to as simply the Nagoya Subway,[2] is a rapid transit system serving Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture in Japan. It consists of six lines that cover 93.3km (58miles) of route and serve 87 stations.[3] Approximately 90% of the subway's total track length is underground.

The subway system is owned and operated by the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau and, like other large Japanese cities including Tokyo and Osaka, is heavily complemented by suburban rail, together forming an extensive network of 47 lines in and around Greater Nagoya. Of them, the subway lines represent 38% of Greater Nagoya's total rail ridership of 3 million passengers a day.[4]

In 2002, the system introduced Hatchii as its official mascot.__TOC__

Lines and infrastructure

The six lines that comprise the Nagoya subway network are, for the most part, independent. However, Meikō Line services partially interline with the Meijō Line, and the operations of both lines are combined. Therefore, there are in fact five distinct services on the subway. They are mostly self-contained, but two of its lines have through services onto lines owned and operated by Meitetsu, the largest private railway operator in the region. One of these, the Kamiida Line, is essentially an extension of the Meitetsu Komaki Line to which it connects.

The first two subway lines, the Higashiyama and Meijō/Meikō Lines, run on standard gauge track and use 600 volt DC electrification from a third rail. They are three of the eleven subway lines in Japan which use both third-rail electrification and standard gauge track (the Ginza and Marunouchi lines in Tokyo are the only other two lines to use third rail at that voltage; five of the eight lines of the Osaka Metro and the Blue Line in Yokohama all use 750 V DC third rail). Subsequent lines were built to narrow gauge and employ 1,500 volt DC electrification from overhead lines, in common with most other rapid transit lines in the country.

As with other railway lines in Japan, tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines in stations. Since February 2011, this has largely been supplemented by Manaca, a rechargeable smart card. In 2012, Manaca replaced Tranpass, the predecessor integrated ticketing system, which was also able to be used at subway stations and for other connected transportation systems in the region.[5]

On January 4, 2023, four stations were renamed:[6]

List of Nagoya Municipal Subway lines

Line
color
Line
icon
Line
number
NameJapaneseRouteStationsLengthTrain LengthFirst OpenedLast OpenedGaugeCurrent supply
Line 1Higashiyama LineJapanese: 東山線 to 2220.6km (12.8miles)6 cars19571982600 V DC,
third rail
Line 2Meijō LineJapanese: 名城線 to via 12[7] 8.9km (05.5miles)1965[8] 1971
Line 4 to via 1717.5km (10.9miles)1974[9] 2004
Line 2Meikō LineJapanese: 名港線 to 7[10] 6km (04miles)1971[11]
Via trackage rightsMeitetsu Inuyama LineJapanese: 名鉄犬山線 to 13[12] 21.4km (13.3miles)1993[13] 1,500 V DC,
overhead supply
Line 3Tsurumai LineJapanese: 鶴舞線 to 2020.4km (12.7miles)19771993
Via trackage rightsMeitetsu Toyota LineJapanese: 名鉄豊田線 to 8[14] 15.2km (09.4miles)1979[15]
Meitetsu Mikawa LineJapanese: 名鉄三河線 to 21.4km (00.9miles)N/A[16]
Line 6Sakura-dōri LineJapanese: 桜通線 to 2119.1km (11.9miles)5 cars19892011
Via trackage rightsMeitetsu Komaki LineJapanese: 名鉄小牧線 to 13[17] 18.3km (11.4miles)4 cars2003[18]
to 2[19] 2.3km (01.4miles)2003[20]
Line 7Kamiiida LineJapanese: 上飯田線 to 2[21] 0.8km (00.5miles)2003[22]
Total (Subway only – not incl. trackage rights portions):8793.3km (58miles) 

Notes

Connecting services

JR Central

at Nagoya

(for Shin-Yokohama, Tokyo, Kyoto, and Shin-Osaka)

at Nagoya and Kanayama

(for Gifu, Ōgaki, Obu, Kariya, Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Hamamatsu)

at Nagoya, Kanayama, Tsurumai, Chikusa, and Ōzone

(for Kozoji (transfer to former Expo Site), Tajimi, and Nakatsugawa)

at Nagoya and Hatta

(for Yokkaichi, Tsu and Kameyama)

at Nagoya

(Limited Express only, for Gero and Takayama)

Meitetsu (Nagoya Railroad)

at Nagoya and Kanayama

(for Meitetsu Gifu, Chiryu, Hekinan, Nishio, Higashi Okazaki, Toyohashi, and Toyokawa Inari)

at Nagoya and Kanayama

(for Otagawa, Chita Handa, Kowa, Utsumi, Tokoname, and Central Japan Int'l Airport)

at Nagoya, Kanayama, and Kami-Otai

(for Iwakura, Inuyama, Mikakino and Shin Kani)

at Nagoya and Kanayama

(for Tsushima, Saya and Yatomi)

at Sakae and Ōzone

(for Owari Seto)

at Akaike

(for Toyotashi)

Kintetsu

(for Yokkaichi, Tsu, Nakagawa, Matsusaka, Ise, Toba, and Osaka)

Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit

at Nagoya

(for Kinjo-Futo (Nagoya International Exhibition Hall))

Aichi Rapid Transit

at Fujigaoka

(for Yakusa, Aichikyūhaku-kinen-kōen (Expo Memorial Park))

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: http://www.city.nagoya.jp/somu/page/0000004981.html . ja:平成21年版名古屋市統計年鑑 11.運輸・通信 . Nagoya City . ja . Nagoya Statistics for Year 21 of the Heisei Era, 11 Transportation and Communication . 2009 . 1 December 2010 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110616062914/http://www.city.nagoya.jp/somu/page/0000004981.html . 16 June 2011 .
  2. Web site: 2023-11-01 . Subway & City Bus One-Day Ticket Discounts and Benefits Guidebook (Nagoya Toku Navi) . 2024-01-06 . Nagoya City Transportation Bureau.
  3. Web site: http://www.kotsu.city.nagoya.jp/inquiry/faq/faq_subway.html . ja:トップページ - ご意見・お問い合わせ - よくあるご質問 - 地下鉄について . Transportation Bureau, City of Nagoya . ja . Top - Feedback and inquiries - Frequently Asked Questions - For subway . 11 June 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223458/http://www.kotsu.city.nagoya.jp/inquiry/faq/faq_subway.html . 14 July 2014 .
  4. Web site: Archived copy . 2017-08-12 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329035818/http://www.mlit.go.jp/kisha/kisha07/01/010330_3/01.pdf . 2017-03-29 .
  5. Web site: Tickets - Nagoya Transportation Bureau. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140311211949/http://english.jr-central.co.jp/company/company/achievement/transportation/index.html. 2014-03-11.
  6. https://www.kotsu.city.nagoya.jp/en/pc/OTHER/TRP0001448/Subway%20Station%20Name%20Change_.pdf
  7. Including Ōzone Station
  8. Between Ōzone Station, Sakae Station and Kanayama Station (Aichi)
  9. Between Ōzone Station, Nagoya Daigaku Station and Kanayama Station (Aichi)
  10. Including Kanayama Station (Aichi)
  11. Between Kanayama Station (Aichi) and Nagoyako Station
  12. Including Kamiotai Station
  13. Between Inuyama Station and Kamiotai Station
  14. Including Akaike Station
  15. Between Akaike Station and Umetsubo Station
  16. Between Umetsubo Station and Toyotashi Station
  17. Including Ajima Station
  18. Between Inuyama Station and Ajima Station
  19. Including Ajima Station and Kamiiida Station
  20. Owned by Kamiiida Link Line between Ajima Station and Kamiiida Station
  21. Including Kamiiida Station
  22. Owned by Kamiiida Link Line between Kamiiida Station and Heian-dori Station