Services were suspended on a portion of Tokyo's busy Yamanote loop line Saturday due to track-switching construction work at the busy Shibuya Station, with the disruption to last the whole weekend.
Services on the "outer loop," or clockwise direction, between Osaki and Ikebukuro stations were halted from the first train, affecting around 530,000 passengers, according to train operator East Japan Railway Co.
The suspension includes key stations such as Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku. It marks, along with a similar two-day suspension of a section of the counterclockwise "inner loop" in October 2021, the longest disruption since JR East was established in 1987.
Normal operations will resume from the first train on Monday.
The suspension is part of ongoing construction work at Shibuya Station and its surrounding area. The operator aims to switch from two platforms for the inner and outer loops to a single Yamanote Line platform, thereby easing passenger congestion and increasing convenience for transfers.
Services on other parts of the outer loop will run at about 30 to 40 percent of the usual level over the weekend, with an interval of approximately 10 minutes between trains. Services on the inner loop have been reduced to about 70 percent of their normal levels.
To compensate for the reduced services, the JR Saikyo Line and Rinkai Line -- which stop at Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ebisu and Osaki stations affected by the suspension -- are increasing services between Akabane and Shin-Kiba stations.
Additional trains will be added between Osaki and Shinjuku using the tracks of the Saikyo and Shonan Shinjuku lines.
JR East has urged people to use alternative trains including the subway lines operated by other railway companies.
