Tokyo Metro Namboku Line
The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Meguro in Shinagawa and Akabane-Iwabuchi in Kita. The Namboku Line was referred to as Line 7 during the planning stages, thus the seldom-used official name is . On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color emerald (previously coded "teal"), and its stations are given numbers using the letter "N". Overview. Trains run through onto the Tokyu Meguro Line for and the Saitama Railway's Saitama Rapid Railway Line (which is essentially a separately -owned extension of the Namboku Line) for . The right-of-way and stations between and Meguro are shared with the Toei Mita Line – a unique situation on the Tokyo subway where both operators share common infrastructure. Under an agreement between Tokyo Metro and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the fare for this section is calculated on the Toei fare system for passengers traveling to stations on the Mita Line past Shirokane-Takanawa, on the Metro fare system for passengers traveling to stations on the Namboku Line past Shirokane-Takanawa, and on the system "most beneficial to the passenger" (presently the Metro  schedule) for travel solely on the shared sector. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the Namboku Line is shown using the color emerald (▉), and its stations are given numbers using the letter "N". History. The 21.3 km Namboku Line is one of Tokyo Metro's newer lines, featuring advanced technology including full automatic train operation and platform screen doors. Although the line was originally proposed in 1968, construction did not begin until the 1980s, partly due to the right-of-way to Meguro with the Toei Mita Line. The first segment from to opened on November 29, 1991. The line  initially operated with four-car EMUs. Upon its extension to Yotsuya in March 1996, the formations were extended to six cars. All stations have enough clearance for extending to eight-car trains, but trains of this length have not started running. The Namboku line will possibly start operating 8 car trains in fiscal year 2022. The extension to was completed in September 1997, and the last stretch from Tameike-Sanno to Meguro was completed on September 26, 2000, when through service to the Tokyu Meguro Line started. Through service with the Saitama Rapid Railway Line commenced when it opened in  March 2001 and accommodated traffic to and from Saitama Stadium during the 2002 World Cup. Although the Saitama Line is more or less a northern extension of the Namboku Line, it nevertheless remains a private entity to which the Namboku Line offers through services with. Future plans. On 28 January 2022, Tokyo Metro announced that a spur line from Shirokane-takanawa to Shinagawa would be built. The extension is expected to cost and scheduled to begin revenue service in the mid-2030s. It is intended to increase connections to and from the Chūō Shinkansen, which is scheduled to open for service  in 2027.