Tokyo is pushing forward with an innovative idea to use a subway loop line now under construction as a base for earthquake disaster prevention operations. The plan capitalizes on the new line's earthquake-resistant properties by providing for the construction of food and medicine storage facilities in the underground space directly above a number of the new stations. It also calls for the use of the subway to transport supplies and people in the event of an earthquake.
An expedient delay
The new subway line, the city's twelfth, will encircle the center of the city along a 28.8 kilometer route when completed. The line was initially scheduled to go into operation in 1997, but the date was pushed back to 2000 because of difficulties encountered in building the many sections that lie under existing subways.
Under the original plan, 26 stations were to be built and the space above them filled in, as is normally the case in subway construction. However, thanks to the delay, the spaces were left open, prompting suggestion that they be used for earthquake countermeasures. The resulting plan, which adds an underground network for relief operations to Tokyo's ground, sea, and air routes, has become a highlight of the city's disaster prevention program.
Daylight earthquake could leave millions stranded
At this stage of planning, warehouses for emergency stores of food, medicine, blankets, and other relief supplies as well as shelters equipped with ventilation systems are slated to be constructed in the underground space above seven stations. In addition, the subway will be used to carry the supplies and evacuate people in the event of a major temblor. Many consider the line an ideal means of transportation, because the depth at which most sections will be built make it extremely resistant to earthquakes and its loop shape will enable it to approach most areas in the city center where traffic has been stopped.
Many people who work in Tokyo commute from outlying suburbs, and an earthquake that struck during office hours could leave millions stranded. The question of how to ensure the massive amounts of food and other goods necessary in such an event has become a major topic of concern for Tokyo, and the plan to put the new subway to use for this purpose has won the praise of local governments in the metropolitan area as well as throughout the country.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)