Tokyo's oldest train line – in pictures

Overall Impressions of the Yamanote Line

• Widely praised as extremely frequent, reliable, and easy to use, especially for tourists.
• Trains during rush hour arrive roughly every 2 minutes (sometimes effectively double that due to parallel lines) yet are still heavily crowded.
• Many find the crush-load rush hour uncomfortable; taller or claustrophobic riders have mixed reactions.
• Some describe looping the line by bike or walking as a way to appreciate Tokyo’s diversity.

Capacity, Trains vs Cars, and Network Design

• Multiple comments contrast Yamanote’s capacity with highways:
  • At peak, a fully-used double-track metro can move tens of thousands of people per hour per direction, far beyond any realistic road lane equivalent.
• Yamanote is mostly paralleled by other lines (Keihin-Tōhoku, Saikyō, Shōnan-Shinjuku, etc.), plus express services, yet many lines still hit or exceed nominal capacity.
• Discussion notes that rail also suffers from induced demand; adding capacity eventually fills up in megacities.
• Examples from Paris and Montreal used to show that even very high-capacity lines can saturate, requiring new lines or extra tracks.

Funding, Fares, and Privatization

• Debate over “free transit”:
  • Some argue fully free systems become politically vulnerable and lose a meaningful revenue stream.
  • Others note many US systems (e.g., LA Metro) already have very low farebox recovery, so slashing fares might be reasonable for low-income riders.
• Japanese context:
  • Many lines are operated by private or privatized railways (JR companies, Tokyu, Hankyu, etc.).
  • Operators are deeply integrated with real estate and retail; some say they are essentially property companies that run trains to feed their developments.
  • Employers often cover workers’ commute passes, making trains de facto free to many riders.

Urban Form, Cars, and Policy

• Japan’s high tolls, expensive parking, and requirement to prove a parking space before car ownership make driving less attractive.
• In Tokyo, many people simply don’t own cars; companies provide transit passes rather than parking.
• Observers contrast this with US cities where free or mandated parking undermines transit.

Culture and Daily Experience

• Onboard behavior:
  • Trains are quiet; most riders are on phones, reading, studying, listening to music, or sleeping.
  • This is framed as a continuation of pre-smartphone habits (books, pocket-sized novels), not a uniquely new phenomenon.
  • Avoiding eye contact and “not observing people” is described as intentional etiquette in packed cars.
• Some see heavy phone use as alienating; others argue it’s a practical coping mechanism in dense crowds.

Work Patterns and Congestion

• Suggestions include staggering business hours or expanding remote work to reduce peak loads.
• Commenters note:
  • Only a minority of jobs can be fully remote.
  • School traffic and non-work trips significantly contribute to rush hour congestion.

History and “Oldest Line” Claim

• Several question the article’s claim that Yamanote is Tokyo’s “oldest” line.
• Other lines and earlier routes (e.g., to Yokohama, the Ginza subway) are cited; whether “oldest” refers to type, corridor, or continuous operation is left unclear.