Connecting Tokyo and Kanagawa, the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line. It boasts upscale residential areas along the line and is a popular commute route with direct access to places like Shibuya and Otemachi. Dissatisfaction is erupting among residents along this line due to frequent delays.
The dissatisfaction among residents peaked on March 12. Around 7:33 am, a safety check was conducted between Kajigaya and Mizonokuchi stations in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Despite not suspending operations, congestion and train concentration led to delays of about 40 minutes during the morning rush peak, impacting many commuters. Targeting the evening rush when those commuters return home, a point inspection was conducted at Nagatsuta Station at around 5:47 pm. Again, despite not suspending operations, delays exceeding 100 minutes occurred due to congestion and train concentration.
The occurrence of delays during both morning and evening, times heavily used by commuters, led to an explosion of dissatisfaction among residents along the line. Tokyu Corporation found itself compelled to engage in serious damage control, such as posting an “apology” on its official page.
“Nonetheless” Den-en-toshi Line Delays have Reduced
Delays on the Den-en-toshi Line are on a downward trend. For residents who remain dissatisfied, it might seem like “cold comfort,” but compared to 10-20 years ago, the line has become less prone to delays according to the writer’s perspective. A major reason is the installation of platform doors at all stations. By 2020, platform doors about waist-high were installed at all stations, significantly reducing falls onto the tracks by passengers. With zero level crossings, the Den-en-toshi Line has seen a significant reduction in service suspensions due to human accidents.
The disappearance of the major factor of lengthy service suspensions due to human accidents has, in fact, caused other delay factors to become more conspicuous. While there are certainly delays due to natural disasters like typhoons, earthquakes, or snowfall, a look at the delay factors for the Den-en-toshi Line over the past three months (January to March 2025) shows a lineup of equipment-related troubles like track safety checks (smoke emission), door inspections, safety checks, point inspections, vehicle malfunctions, abnormal sound checks, and rail inspection work.
Most sections of Tokyu lines are above ground, but the section between Futako-Tamagawa and Shibuya on the Den-en-toshi Line is a subway section that opened in 1977 as the “New Tamagawa Line.” While there are other tunnels and semi-underground stations on Tokyu lines, there aren’t many long subway sections, with newly underground sections or newly opened lines being more noticeable. Because of this, the “New Tamagawa Line,” nearing its 50th anniversary since opening, presents maintenance challenges, and it might be unavoidable for troubles to occur.
Issues with Post-trouble Response?
What highlighted the problem with post-trouble responses were the two schedule disruptions on March 12. The morning disruption began with a safety check around 7:33 am, and at 7:41 am, operational information indicating “delays occurring” was distributed. The dissemination of operational information instructing regular passengers to use substitute transportation on other lines began at 7:54 am, which was relatively smooth, but by this time, other lines were already entering rush hour, and most users could not use the substitute transportation, concentrating usage on the delayed Den-en-toshi Line, resulting in delays exceeding 40 minutes despite it being during the morning rush.
The trains arriving in the city center around 8 am, where usage is most concentrated, were delayed until around 9 am, and one can easily imagine the irritation of the users.
The problem lies with the evening schedule disruption. Although the point inspection carried out around 5:47 pm effectively involved a suspension of operations, the dissemination of operational information only took place 33 minutes later, at 6:20 pm. Embarrassingly, by 6:08 pm, Tokyo Metro, which offers through service, announced service suspension due to a point inspection on the Tokyu Corporation side. Despite having the information, it’s unacceptable that the dissemination of operational information lagged behind that of the through-service operator.
Due to inadequate information dissemination, users concentrated at each station during the evening rush. Despite experiencing about a 30-minute delay by 6:30 pm, delays exceeded 100 minutes (based on delay certificates), leading to disruptions extending to the last train.
Examining the Apology Statement Carefully…
Looking at Tokyu Corporation’s apology statement, it says, “We are committing the entire company to preventing operational disruptions beforehand, but will strive even harder to prevent reoccurrence.” However, the issue with the schedule disruption this time lies in the handling after the trouble occurred, such as inadequate information dissemination and substitute transportation, failing to prevent crowd concentration and delay expansion.
Of course, preventing troubles beforehand is important, but if the company is not aware that over 30 minutes of operational information dissemination lapse occurred without user information provision and devotes all company efforts solely to “preventing operational disruptions,” similar situations could arise again, with users suffering from severe congestion and delays. Will this concern be resolved? Does Tokyu Corporation possess the capacity for self-purification? Hoping not to see another outburst of dissatisfaction.
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
