Tokyo’s subway system, known for its punctuality, efficiency and at times overcrowded trains, will be tested when hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors descend on the Japanese capital for the 2020 Olympics, experts say. Nearly 20 million people use public transport daily in the greater Tokyo area, home to
Tokyo’s subway system, known for its punctuality, efficiency and at times overcrowded trains, will be tested when hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors descend on the Japanese capital for the 2020 Olympics, experts say.
Nearly 20 million people use public transport daily in the greater Tokyo area, home to more than 35 million people.
The games could draw 600,000 people to the city in late July and early August, typically the hottest time of the year, says the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
Tokyo’s subway system is already over capacity, raising fears of even worse congestion when Olympic visitors use the trains, especially during rush hour, said Azuma Taguchi, a Chuo University professor who has studied the issue.
A train carriage has a capacity of 143 to 162 passengers, according to the Japan railways website.
“At present you can be on a train with 200 percent of its capacity when it is at its worst,” Taguchi told Reuters, warning that 300 percent capacity would cripple the subway system.
“However, there is a possibility that number could increase one and a half times during the Olympics,” he said.
