Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. (東京地下鉄株式会社), known as Tokyo Metro, runs subways in the Tokyo wards (東京都区部) and nearby areas. It was formed in 2004 when the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (帝都高速度交通営団) was privatised.
History
The subway history began with Hayakawa Tokujiro (早川徳次). The Tokyo Underground Railway Company (東京地下鉄道株式会社) was founded on 29 August 1920. Construction began on 27 September 1925. The first section, from Asakusa to Ueno, opened on 30 December 1927. It is now part of the Ginza Line (銀座線). The Tokyo Rapid Railway (東京高速鉄道) opened in 1938. On 16 September 1939 the Ginza Line was completed, and the two companies began through trains between Asakusa and Shibuya. The Teito Rapid Transit Authority was set up on 4 July 1941. The two subway companies were handed to it on 1 September 1941.
After the war, most wartime authorities were broken up on orders from GHQ. The Teito Rapid Transit Authority survived, because its work was not judged to be for the war. It raised money for new lines through government investment and loans, so it was run much like a public corporation. It joined the Japan Private Railway Association (日本民営鉄道協会). Work on the Marunouchi Line began on 20 April 1951. The Ikebukuro to Ochanomizu section opened on 20 January 1954. It was the first new line built after the war. On 28 March 1961 the Hibiya Line opened between Minami-Senju and Naka-Okachimachi. The Ogikubo Line opened in 1961 as well. On 23 March 1962 its branch to Hannan-cho opened, and the Marunouchi Line was then fully open. On 31 May 1962 Hibiya Line through trains with the Tobu Isesaki Line began. The Hibiya Line was fully open on 29 August 1964 and linked with the Tokyu Toyoko Line at Naka-Meguro. On 23 December 1964 the Tozai Line opened between Takadanobaba and Kudanshita. On 1 October 1966 the Tozai Line began through trains with the Japanese National Railways (国鉄) Chuo Line.
On 20 December 1969 the Chiyoda Line opened. It was the fifth line the Eidan Subway had opened. The Tozai Line was also completed that year, and it was the first Eidan line to reach Chiba Prefecture. In 1970 the Eidan Subway introduced line colours. In 1971 Chiyoda Line through trains with the national railways Joban Line began, and the 6000 series began running. In 1972 the Ogikubo Line name was dropped, and the line was unified as the Marunouchi Line. On 30 October 1974 the Yurakucho Line opened. In 1975 silver seats were added to the front cars of all lines. In 1978 the Chiyoda Line was fully open, with through trains to the Odakyu Odawara Line. The Hanzomon Line opened on 1 August 1978. Because the line was short, it did not own its trains at first, and Tokyu trains ran through from the Shin-Tamagawa and Den-en-toshi lines. In 1982 Chiyoda Line trains running on the Joban Line were extended to Toride in Ibaraki. In 1983 the Yurakucho Line began through trains with the Seibu Yurakucho Line. In 1987 the national railways were split up, and the partner lines of the Tozai and Chiyoda lines became East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The Yurakucho Line reached Saitama and began through trains with the Tobu Tojo Line.
In 1988 the Yurakucho Line was fully open, and new train series entered service on several lines. Metro cards went on sale. On 29 November 1991 the Namboku Line opened. It was the first subway line opened in the Heisei era. In 1994 the new Yurakucho Line section opened, the second line opened in the Heisei era. In 1996 the Tozai Line began through trains with the Toyo Rapid Railway (東葉高速線). All Eidan Subway cars were air-conditioned that year. On 26 March 1998 Yurakucho Line through trains with the Seibu Ikebukuro Line began. In 1999 silver seats were renamed priority seats. In 2000 the Namboku Line was fully open and began through trains with the Tokyu Meguro Line. Pasnet cards were introduced. On 28 March 2001 the Namboku Line began through trains with the Saitama Rapid Railway. In 2002 the Chiyoda Line began through trains with the Odakyu Tama Line. On 19 March 2003 the Hanzomon Line was fully open, and through trains with the Tobu Isesaki and Nikko lines began. The 08 series became the last new train series built for the Eidan Subway.
In June 1986 an advisory council set out a basic policy to privatise the Eidan Subway. Cabinet decisions were made in 1995 and 2001. The Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. Act was promulgated on 18 December 2002. The Eidan Subway became Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd. on 1 April 2004. The name Tokyo Metro (東京メトロ) was adopted. It became one of Japan's large private railway companies, the first added in 14 years. After the company was formed, it opened a customer centre and placed service managers at key stations. From December 2005 it started Echika shopping facilities, beginning at Omotesando station. English announcements were added inside trains. The government held 53.4% of the shares and Tokyo held 46.6%. Listing was planned for after the Fukutoshin Line opened on 14 June 2008, but it was delayed. In 2006 the 10000 series began running on the Yurakucho Line, the first new series built after the company was formed. In 2007 PASMO was introduced and began to be used with Suica. On 1 October 2007 an early earthquake warning system began operating. In 2008 Pasnet card sales ended. On 15 March 2008 an Odakyu Romancecar began running on the Chiyoda Line, the first paid express service on a subway in Japan. The Fukutoshin Line was fully open on 14 June 2008 and began through trains with the Tobu Tojo, Seibu Yurakucho and Seibu Ikebukuro lines.
In 2010 the 15000 series entered service on the Tozai Line, and the 16000 series on the Chiyoda Line. On 11 March 2011 the earthquake struck, many people could not get home, and Tokyo Metro ran trains all night to clear stranded passengers. After the power crisis, Tokyo Electric Power ran rolling blackouts, and energy-saving timetables applied on each line until 10 September 2011. In 2012 the 1000 series began on the Ginza Line. In 2013 the Fukutoshin Line began through trains with the Tokyu Toyoko Line and the Minatomirai Line, and the Hibiya Line through trains to the Tokyu Toyoko Line ended. IC cards became usable across Japan on 23 March 2013. In 2014 the company decided to change line colours, and the changes were made in 2015 and 2016. On 26 March 2016 three-company through trains on the Chiyoda Line, JR Joban Line and Odakyu Line began, with JR and Odakyu cars. Free Wi-Fi on trains started on the Ginza Line on 1 December 2016. On 25 March 2017 the 13000 series began full service on the Hibiya Line. On 29 July 2019 the company announced a partnership with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) on railway maintenance and crowd reduction. From 2020, passenger numbers fell with the spread of COVID-19, and trains were cut. The company began anti-virus treatment of its trains on 2 July 2020.
On 25 April 2022 the company announced plans to install platform doors on all lines by fiscal 2025. It planned to fund this partly with a barrier-free fare addition of 10 yen, planned for 2023. On 18 March 2023 the Namboku and Fukutoshin lines began through trains with the Tokyu New Yokohama Line and the Sotetsu Line, via the Tokyu Toyoko and Meguro lines. On 23 October 2024 the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. The state and Tokyo together still hold 50% of the shares. On 22 March 2025 a trial began for tapping credit cards at station gates and for boarding with QR codes. From 1 May 2025 the dress rules for station and train staff were relaxed. In August 2026 the head office began moving to a new building in Nihonbashi-Hakozakicho, and all departments were in place from 31 August.
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Written by an AI from the company's history on Japanese Wikipedia, nothing else, and checked by a program for dates and numbers that are not in those facts. It can still be wrong. Adapted from Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0; this text is shared under the same licence.
