Good news for Tokyo 2020 spectators – and our capital’s nightlife scene – major railway and subway operators in Greater Tokyo such as JR East and Tokyo Metro have agreed to extend their service hours every day throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games by 30 to 90 minutes. Currently, the trains in Tokyo stop at around midnight. With this extension, sports fans are able to enjoy the late-night events without worrying about catching the last train back to their accommodation.
This should be able to help with crowd control, especially right after a major sports event, while also minimising chaos at the stations. Popular games such as volleyball, basketball and handball are all held in busy areas of Tokyo and Saitama, and they are scheduled to end around 11pm. Therefore, Tokyo’s loop train JR Yamanote line, as well as Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines, will extend their operation schedule and send out their last trains past 2am. Meanwhile, other train companies are also considering to extend their last trains to sometime between 1am and 2am.
To find out which lines will be affected, click here.