Integrating Station-Area Development with Rail Transit Networks: Lessons from Japan Railway in Tokyo

Abstract

Rail transit is a primary transport mode in Tokyo and has become the backbone of its urban development. Tokyo rail transit networks consist of the subway in the central area, private railways in the suburban area, and Japan Railway (JR) in both central and suburban areas. Prior research revealed that JR has better coordination of transit node functions and station-area development than subway and private railway stations, but how Tokyo's JR station-area development integrates with its network growth is less explored. This work investigates how JR station-area development grows in tandem with network expansion, by revisiting different historical phases. The results show that, in the beginning of the twentieth century, JR connected major urban nodes in both central and suburban Tokyo, and therefore became the skeleton of Tokyo's transit systems. During the post-earthquake and post-war period, central subway and suburban private railways gradually met JR on the Yamanote line, enabling the major interchange stations to develop into urban centers. In the 1960s, JR increased its services to alleviate passenger congestion and undertook grade separation projects to reduce conflicts with road networks. The 1987 JR privatization marked a turning point of massive station-area redevelopment. JR station areas have been transformed from underutilized industrial land into high-density commercial use, and major JR stations were comprehensively replanned for identity and place-making. After a centennial development, JR stations have become important interchange and express-service nodes on Tokyo transit networks with intensive land use and different urban functions. The Tokyo JR case can provide insights for metropolitan cities on how to integrate rail transit infrastructure with station-area development, including matching critical nodes in transit networks with urban functions and high-density land use and connecting these urban functions through express line services.

Keywords

Transit-oriented development / Transit network / Land use / Japan Railway / Tokyo

References

[1] Suzuki H, Robert C, Kanako I (2013) Transforming cities with transit: transit and land-use integration for sustainable urban development. World Bank Publications

[2] Calthorpe P. The next American metropolis: ecology, community, and the American dream, 1993, New York: Princeton architectural press

[3] Cervero R. The transit metropolis: a global inquiry, 1998, Washington, DC: Island Press

[4] Cao Z, Asakura Y, Tan Z. Coordination between node, place, and ridership: comparing three transit operators in Tokyo. Transp Res Part D Transp Environ, 2020, 87: 102518

[5] Bagwell P. A history of Japanese Railways, 1872–1999. J Transp History, 2001, 22(2): 165

[6] Black JA (2022) A short history of transportation in Japan from ancient times to the present. Open Book Publishers

[7] Mizutani F, Nakamura K. Privatization of the Japan national railway: overview of performance changes. Int J Transp Econ, 1997, 24(1): 75-99.

[8] Mizutani F. An assessment of the Japan Railway companies since privatization: performance, local rail service and debts. Transp Rev, 1999, 19(2): 117-139

[9] Obermauer A. National railway reform in Japan and the EU: evaluation of institutional changes. Jpn Railw Transp Rev, 2001, 29(12): 24-31.

[10] Hirooka H. The development of Tokyo's rail network. Jpn Railw Transp Rev, 2000, 23: 22-30.

[11] Yajima T, Ieda H (2019) TOD practice in Japan; Tokyo, a global city created by railways. Institute of Behavioral Sciences

[12] Zhang BY, Yue H, Wang S. Experience and reference of implementing public transport priority strategy dominated by urban rail transit in Tokyo. Appl Mech Mater, 2014, 505: 813-819.

[13] Calimente J. Rail integrated communities in Tokyo. J Transp Land Use, 2012, 5(1): 19-32

[14] Zacharias J, Zhang T, Nakajima N. Tokyo Station City: the railway station as urban place. Urban Des Int, 2011, 16(4): 242-251

[15] Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (2013) Rail transit year book. https://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000227427.pdf

[16] Kimishima M (1983) A historical study of changes in the development plan for rapid transit railway network in Tokyo. Papers of the research meeting on the civil engineering history in Japan, 3, 143–154

[17] Wakuda Y. Improvement of urban railway. Jpn Railw Transpt Rev, 1997, 12: 46-49.

[18] Ito K, Chiba M. Railway stations and local communities in Japan. Jpn Rail Transp Rev, 2001, 28: 4-17.

[19] Suzuki H. Financing transit-oriented development with land values: adapting land value capture in developing countries, 2015, Washington, DC: World Bank Group