JR Shibuya reconstruction starts

[Socimi]

33 minutes ago, JR 500系 said:

 

WOW that's fast, defintely Japanese technology and pure work coordination! 

 

What amaze me is how the video was taken... we could see the windows of the train, meaning the camera was outside the window? Could it have been taken by a train conductor as they have access to a open train window? 

 

Many modern Japanese commuter trains, such as the E233 Series (wich was likely where that video was shoot from), do still have openable windows.

 

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Socimi

[railsquid]

And these days most trains have stickers on the window frame showing the recommended opening depth for optimal ventilation (about 5cm, IIRC).

[JR 500系]

Is the work already completed? Saw from this video, it looks already operational since there are E235 Yamanote line trains and the video grapher is on one Yamanote train...

 

 

Wierd sound from the E235 though...

 

15 minutes ago, Socimi said:

 

Many modern Japanese commuter trains, such as the E233 Series (wich was likely where that video was shoot from), do still have openable windows.

 

6 minutes ago, railsquid said:

And these days most trains have stickers on the window frame showing the recommended opening depth for optimal ventilation (about 5cm, IIRC).

 

aaahhh thanks! I must have missed out on this thread! 

[railsquid]

Yeah, it would have been completed before start-of-service this morning, otherwise it would have been all over the news...

[cteno4]

Amazingly uneventful!

 

jeff

[railsquid]

Before, during and after pics:

 

 

[The Birmingham train spotter]

May I ask what are they rebuilding?,is it the platform?

[railsquid]

They're rebuilding the whole station and much of the surrounding area; last weekend's exercise was to widen (and raise) one platform.

 

Another view from today:

 

 

On a related note, the existence of the Fukutoshin Line has evidently largely gone largely unnoticed; I was amused to see interviews with people at stations like Mejiro and Shin-Okubo who were seemingly unware they could walk as much as 400 metres to the east and find this whole other line running between Ikebukuro and Shibuya.

[railsquid]

Aaand this weekend what is probably the last major track realignment will take place, where the northbound (outer) Yamanote LIne platform (Shibuya/Ikebukuro direction) will be closed, the northbound/outer track shifted west to occupy part of the alignment of the current platform, and the other platform will be widened to serve both directions.

 

I.e. the outer part of the platform which is now a grey temporary structure will be removed, the running line moved into its place and the platform on the right expanded to occupy the space where the track was:

 

JR Shibuya Station, 2023-01-06 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

I guess it will be a busy weekend for a bunch of guys in hard hats.

 

Info in English: https://www.jreast.co.jp/shibuya-koji/pdf/shibuya-koji_en.pdf

 

The Japanese version: https://www.jreast.co.jp/press/2022/tokyo/20221018_to02.pdf has more details including diagrams of the work being carried out.

Edited January 6, 2023 by railsquid

[Aleks]

I was at Shibuya about three weeks ago. My draw was the new Shibuya Sky observation deck. I both arrived there and later departed using Ginza line. Although this was not my first time in Shibuya, I find this area and the related stations one of the hardest to navigate around, probably due to the current construction, not just JR, but also the shopping buildings being put up. Getting out of and then back into Ginza Station seemed to be taking forever, probably due to a lot of inefficient routing based on posted directions or lack thereof. For me, compared to Shibuya, Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations are as easy to get around as my backyard... I am sure if you were to pass it every day, you would know quick and efficient routes, but nonetheless...

 

I was not impressed with the Shibuya Sky either. Seems like they went out of their way to ensure no one could take a decent photo from the above, unless you paid the authorized photographer to get into his space. I would take the view from the rooftop deck in Roppongi any time, although Roppongi can also be a bit tricky to get to.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Aleks

[railsquid]

Well it is a somewhat complex area undergoing massive reconstruction... Once it's finished it'll be a lot easier to get around.

 

Some videos uploaded since last night:

 

 

 

[railsquid]

Some videos from today:

 

 

 

[railsquid]

Update from earlier this evening:

 

 

Looks like everything is going well.

[railsquid]

And open for business:

 

 

[chadbag]

Amazing how quickly this stuff gets done.  

 

In the US we'd still be doing the environmental impact analysis and litigating it in court by those trying to stop it. /s

 

 

[railsquid]

Plenty of examples of projects being delayed by litigation, the Odakyu elevation/doubling project is a classic one.

 

The really impressive thing is the amount of painstaking preparatory work which is carried out over a timescale of years without interrupting services, which enables the switchover to be carried out with a minimum of disruption. Dunno about the US, but in Europe the usual thing to do would be to shut down the section for 6 months and run a bus replacement service, though that'd be physically impossible in Tokyo.

[JR East]

6 hours ago, railsquid said:

../..  but in Europe the usual thing to do would be to shut down the section for 6 months and run a bus replacement service, though that'd be physically impossible in Tokyo.

 

They did that in Paris several years. They closed the main RER line A in Paris (only the mid part of the line was closed, it was running both sides out of Paris) during August. It was not just one year, it was done sevaral years to allow replacement of rails, etc ... (pure consequence of the lack of maintenance during more than 20 years ...)

Edited January 10, 2023 by JR East

[railsquid]

On 1/6/2023 at 10:22 PM, railsquid said:

JR Shibuya Station, 2023-01-06 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

 

 

View on Monday from more-or-less the same place but from the new platform:

 

Shibuya Station (2023-01-09) by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[bill937ca]

There will be a partial shutdown of the Yamanote line on the west side November 18th and 19th.

 

Per the JR East notice "Yamanote Line tracks and platforms will be raised to make the station more pleasant to use."

 

"We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers, but we ask that you can use transfer to other railway companies except for the Yamanote Line and Shinjuku Line."

 

JR East notices:

https://www.jreast.co.jp/shibuya-koji/pdf/shibuya-koji_en.pdf

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by bill937ca