Efforts to Move Railway Tracks Underground in Japan

In Japanese cities, the railway is an important means of transportation that is indispensable for people’s daily lives and economic activities. In the Tokyo metropolitan area, travel by rail accounts for about 30 percent of all modes of transport. But railways pose a major challenge to improving urban safety and ensuring the smooth flow of traffic, with accidents and traffic congestion occurring at level crossings where railway lines and roads intersect. Railways also have a major impact on city design by separating built-up areas. To address these challenges, initiatives are underway to move railway tracks on the surface to spaces underground for the removal of level crossings and the creation of seamless urban areas. This paper introduces projects underway in Japan’s cities to move railways underground.