 | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sapporo Municipal Subway" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Sapporo Municipal Subway | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Native name | 札幌市営地下鉄 Sapporo-shiei-chikatetsu | ||
| Locale | Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 3 | ||
| Number of stations | 49 | ||
| Daily ridership | 573,000 (2008 estimate) | ||
| Annual ridership | 209 million | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 16 December 1971; 53 years ago (1971-12-16) | ||
| Operator(s) | Sapporo City Transportation Bureau | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 48.0 km (29.8 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | Namboku line: Central and side-mounted guideways, with rubber tires Tōzai and Tōhō lines: Central guideway with rubber tires | ||
| Electrification | Namboku line: 750 V DC third rail Tōzai and Tōhō lines: 1,500 V DC overhead catenary | ||
| |||
The Sapporo Municipal Subway (札幌市営地下鉄, Sapporo-shiei-chikatetsu) is a mostly-underground rubber-tyred rapid transit system in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Operated by the Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, it is the only subway system on the island of Hokkaido.
Lines
The system consists of three lines: the green Namboku Line (North–south line), orange Tozai Line (East–west line), and blue Tōhō Line (North East Line). The first, the Namboku Line, was opened in 1971 prior to the 1972 Winter Olympics. The Sapporo City Subway system operates out of two main hubs: Sapporo Station and Odori Station. Most areas of the city are within a reasonable walking distance or short bus ride from one of the subway stations.
The three lines all connect at Odori Station. The Namboku Line and Tōhō Line lines connect with the JR Hokkaido main lines at Sapporo Station. At Odori and Susukino stations, it connects to the streetcar (tram) above. The system has a total length of 48 km (30 mi) with 46 stations. Except for the section of the Namboku Line south of Hiragishi Station, the tracks and stations are underground; despite being aboveground, this section of the Namboku Line is entirely covered, including the stations, the depot access tracks, and the depot south of Jieitai-Mae Station.
| Color & icon | Mark | Name | Literal Translation | First section opened |
Last ex- tension |
Length | Stations | Train
Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| green | 
|
N | Namboku Line | South-North Line | 1971 | 1978 | 14.3 km (8.9 mi) | 16 | 6 cars |
| orange | 
|
T | Tōzai Line | East-West Line | 1976 | 1999 | 20.1 km (12.5 mi) | 19 | 7 cars |
| blue | 
|
H | Tōhō Line | Higashi-Toyohira Line | 1988 | 1994 | 13.6 km (8.5 mi) | 14 | 4 cars |
| Total: | 48.0 km (29.8 mi) | 49 | |||||||
Technology
All lines of the subway use rubber-tired trains that travel on two flat roll ways, guided by a single central rail. This system is unique among subways in Japan and the rest of the world; while other rubber-tired metro networks, including smaller automated guideway transit lines such as the Port Liner, use guide bars, the Sapporo system does not because the central rail makes them superfluous (similar to some rubber-tyred trams, such as the Translohr and Bombardier Guided Light Transit). This rubber-tired system, combined with the heavy snowfall that Sapporo gets during winter, means that the system must be fully enclosed (including the southern elevated segment of the Namboku line), therefore all rolling stock cannot be fitted with air conditioning as it would otherwise trap hot air in the tunnels.
There are differences between the technology used on the older Namboku Line and the newer Tōzai and Tōhō Lines. The Namboku Line uses a T-shaped guide rail, double tires, and third rail power collection, while the Tōzai and Tōhō Lines use an I-shaped guide rail, single tires, and overhead line power collection. Also, the surface of the roll ways is either made up of resin (on the entirety of the Namboku Line and the central section of the Tōzai Line) or steel (on the outer sections of the Tōzai Line and the entirety of the Tōhō Line).
Rolling stock
Namboku Line
5000 series (6-car formation with 4 doors per side, since 1997)
Tōzai Line
Sapporo Municipal Subway 8000 series (7-car formation with 3 doors per side, since 1998)
Tōhō Line
9000 series (4-car formation with 3 doors per side, since May 2015)
Former rolling stock
Namboku Line
- 1000/2000 series (2/4/6/8-car formation with 2 doors per side, from 1971 until 1999)
- 3000 series (8-car formation with 2 doors per side, from 1978 until 2012)
Tōzai Line
6000 series (7-car formation with 3 doors per side, from 1976 until 2008)
Tōhō Line
- 7000 series (4-car formation with 3 doors per side, from 1988 until 2016)
Rolling stock gallery
-
1000 series (preserved)
-
3000 series
-
5000 series
-
6000 series
-
7000 series
-
8000 series
-
9000 series
Fares
Ticket prices range from 210 yen to 380 yen, depending on the distance to travel. All stations accept the SAPICA rechargeable IC cards which can be used as a fare card for the subway, and may be upgraded to a commuter pass.
Kitaca, a contactless smart card operated by JR Hokkaido is also usable on the Sapporo Municipal Subway, as well as public transport cards affiliated with the Nationwide Mutual Usage Service, such as Suica and PASMO. However, this compatibility is unidirectional; SAPICA cannot be used on other rail networks.
Day passes and discount passes can be purchased at the vending machines. Prior to its discontinuation on March 31, 2015, prepaid "With You" magnetic cards could be used for the subway, streetcar and regular city routes offered by JR Hokkaido Bus, Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Jotetsu Bus. These functions were superceded by the SAPICA.
One-day Cards offer unlimited rides on the subway, streetcar, and regular city routes offered by the Chuo, Jotetsu, and JR Hokkaido Buses (excluding some suburban areas) on the day of purchase.
A subway one-day card, for use only on the subway, is also available for 830 yen. Donichika tickets (ドニチカキップ, donichika kippu, where "donichika" is a portmanteau of 土日 donichi meaning "Saturday and Sunday" and 地下 chika meaning "underground") allow for unlimited one-day ride pass for the subway to be used only on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays at a lower price of 520 yen. Due to their identical functionality, subway one-day cards are unavailable on days where Donichika tickets are sold. Neither may be bought with prepaid balance charged to a SAPICA card.
Commuter SAPICA cards offer unlimited rides between specific stations during their period of validity. There are two types of commuter pass: one for those commuting to their workplace and one for students. Both are available for one-month or three-month periods, and can be newly purchased from commuter pass sales offices located at major stations. Standard SAPICA cards may be upgraded to a commuter pass through ticket vending machines. Commuter SAPICA cards automatically downgrade to a standard SAPICA card once the time period expires.
Shopping areas
There are two main shopping areas located underground, connected to the exits of three central stations on the Namboku line: Sapporo Station, Susukino Station, and Odori Station. Pole Town is an extensive shopping area that lies between Susukino and Odori stations. Aurora Town is a shopping arcade that is connected to Sapporo station. It links some of the main shopping malls in Sapporo, such as Daimaru, JR Tower, and Stellar Place.
In addition to the underground shopping corridors, an underground walkway also connects Odori Station to Bus Center Mae station and its neighboring Bus Center. There are no stores in this walkway.
Network Map
References
- ^ "地下鉄（高速電車）の概要" [Overview of the subway (high-speed train)]. city.sapporo.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- 札幌市営地下鉄東豊線で9000形が営業運転を開始 [9000 series enters service on Sapporo Municipal Subway Toho Line]. Japan Railfan Magazine Online (in Japanese). Japan: Koyusha Co., Ltd. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- "札幌市営地下鉄東豊線の7000形がラストラン…6月25日". Response Automotive Media (in Japanese). 14 June 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- 札幌市. "乗車料金". 札幌市 (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- "札幌市営地下鉄、旧「ウィズユーカード」の払戻期間迫る 3月31日まで". 札幌経済新聞. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- 札幌市. "乗車券のご案内". 札幌市 (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- "Pole Town and Aurora Town - Go! Sapporo". gosapporo.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
External links
- Sapporo City Transportation Bureau (Japanese)
- Sapporo at UrbanRail.net (in English)
| Rapid transit and underground railway lines in Japan | |
|---|---|
| Source: www.jametro.or.jp/en/japan/ "Subways in Japan" (Japan Subway Association) | |
| Public | |
| Semi-public | |
| Public-private |
|
| Rapid transit in Asia | |
|---|---|
 Armenia | |
 Azerbaijan | |
 Bangladesh | |
 China (PRC) |
|
 Georgia | |
 India | |
 Indonesia | |
 Iran | |
 Japan | |
 Kazakhstan | |
 North Korea | |
 Malaysia | |
 Pakistan | |
 Philippines | |
 Qatar | |
 Russia | |
 Saudi Arabia | |
 Singapore | |
 South Korea | |
 Taiwan (ROC) | |
 Thailand | |
 Turkey | |
 United Arab Emirates | |
 Uzbekistan | |
 Vietnam | |
| * Under construction. | |
| Transit in Hokkaido | |
|---|---|
| Shinkansen | |
 JR Hokkaido | |
 Sapporo Municipal Subway | |
| Other railways | |
| Terminals |
|
| Public Ferries |
|
| Miscellaneous |
|
