Changes to the Odakyu Line this Saturday

[gmat]

The Odakyu Line will go underground before Higashi-Kitazawa Station and emerge after Setagaya-Daita Stations with three stations being affected..

 

Some older articles discussing the changes to Shimokitazawa.

 

From "Save the Shimokitazawa" site;

What's happening to Shimokitazawa

http://stsk.net/en/happen.html

 

From GlobalVoices;

 

Japan: Debating the fate of Shimokitazawa

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/11/04/japan-debating-the-fate-of-shimokitazawa/

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[railsquid]

I heard about this earlier today and as I used to live near there I had to go along and make my farewells, and take some pictures. I was always fond of the view looking along the tracks east of the Odakyu platforms, where there are an impressive number of crossings and you can sometimes see trains appearing to bear down on people still going over the line.

 

The market area on the north side is still clinging on to life, but no doubt it will be bulldozed in the not-too-distant future :(

[gmat]

Went to the crossing south oh Setagaya-Daita Station at about 12:10 and shot the trains, station area and crowds until the last one passed at 1:09. There were about 40-50 people there by then, with a few more on the platform and scores of Odakyu workers nearby working to get the Station ready for tomorrow. There were about 4 or five kids there at different times, a couple with nice cameras. I mostly shot video as it comes out better in low light situations. I met a local resident who came from Norway and another who didn't speak English. I wonder what it was like at Shimokitazawa?

I noticed someone taking a picture from one of the apartment buildings next to the crossing. That would have been a nice place  to shoot from.

 

The first train passes at 4:52 this morning, so I'll probably go to Umegaoka Station to shoot it going into the new tunnel.

 

Best wishes,

Grant

[gmat]

Here are some photos taken last night. I never made it for the first train.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As soon as I can post it on Youtube, I'll post a few videos of the last series of trains running through.

 

More to come,

Grant

 

 

 

 

 

[Sacto1985]

This is going to be the first step in what Americans call "gentrifying" the neighborhood between Umegaoka and Higashi-Kitazawa Stations on the Odakyu Odawara Line. And the changes could be quite dramatic, to say the least. And this on top of the changes coming to the Shibuya Station area now that Tokyu trains no longer use that well-known above-ground station.

[bill937ca]

Inside the new Odakyu Setagaya-Daita station.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z-rBeYHapI

 

Last look at Odakyu Higashikitazawa station.

 

Edited March 23, 2013 by bill937ca

[Mudkip Orange]

This is going to be the first step in what Americans call "gentrifying" the neighborhood between Umegaoka and Higashi-Kitazawa Stations on the Odakyu Odawara Line. And the changes could be quite dramatic, to say the least. And this on top of the changes coming to the Shibuya Station area now that Tokyu trains no longer use that well-known above-ground station.

 

From reading the article, it seems like the neighborhood is already pretty well gentrified. This is the "next wave" after gentrification, when the area adds more people who want to live in a hip environment as opposed to creating one.

[railsquid]

From reading the article, it seems like the neighborhood is already pretty well gentrified. This is the "next wave" after gentrification, when the area adds more people who want to live in a hip environment as opposed to creating one.

 

A big part of the problem is that they are planning to bulldoze some new roads through the area around the station, which might be practical but will also help make it look like every other station ends up looking these days.

[miyakoji]

people who want to live in a hip environment as opposed to creating one.

 

interesting observation, I never really thought about that

 

A big part of the problem is that they are planning to bulldoze some new roads through the area around the station, which might be practical but will also help make it look like every other station ends up looking these days.

Yeah, I've been seeing things for years about this neighborhood, and it's always got to do with that roadway. Is that still in the works?

[ToniBabelony]

Just traveled through Shimokita yesterday. The ride was smooth, but I fear Shimokita will lose its charm after the rebuild as well...

[Mudkip Orange]

I don't see the problem with the road, it's basically just a two-lane surface street with wide sidewalks. 26m isn't the pavement width, it's the right-of-way width including sidewalks and verges and whatnot.

Obviously I like the aesthetics of thickets of alleys better, and yes it will look a lot like "every other station" once they put a big bus turnaround in front of it, which sucks. But on the other hand, this is sort of a prime location, what with direct rail service to both Shinjuku and Shibuya. It makes sense to open it up for feeder bus service, and if they're going to put high-rises anywhere in Setagaya this is where they *should* be.

[railsquid]

One for the archives: the Odakyu line looking west from Setagaya-Daita station on the day before the changeover. It never ceases to amaze me how they manage to operate a high-density commuter railway under those conditions.

 

[railsquid]

Looking east from Shimokitazawa towards Higashi-Shimokitazawa on the day of the changeover: