Tokyo’s Last Yamanote Line Level Crossing Set to Disappear by 2029

Tokyo’s Yamanote Line still has one level crossing, but not for much longer. The Second Nakanosato Crossing, a five-minute walk from the east exit of Komagome Station toward Tabata, is expected to disappear when a new overpass opens in fiscal 2029.

The crossing became the line’s only remaining one after 2005. Yamanote trains run so frequently that the warning bell sounds repeatedly, with the barriers sometimes rising only to come down again almost immediately. During peak periods, the barriers remain closed for more than 40 minutes in an hour. A sign at the site warns pedestrians that they may face a long wait and advises them to take a detour.

To solve the problem, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Construction Bureau is building a road bridge over the railway as part of Urban Planning Road Auxiliary Route 92. The project was decided at the end of last year and approved by Japan’s transport ministry in March, with a total cost of 2.9 billion yen.

Foundation work began in fiscal 2024, and in June workers pushed a large bridge girder over the tracks. Once the road opens in fiscal 2029, the level crossing will be closed. JR East has also been actively promoting automated operation, and removing the Yamanote Line’s final level crossing could bring that possibility closer.