The local community in Tokyo pins high hopes on improvement of the transportation infrastructure on the occasion of the Tokyo Olympics to be held in 2020. However, the metropolitan government is hesitant about any major project that will require a big extra budget. This puts the Tokyo government and related local businesses in disarray. “There will be no new infrastructure development projects just for the purpose of the Olympic Games,” said Susumu Matsushima, chief of the Transportation Section of the metropolitan government’s Olympics and Paralympics Preparation Department. He suggested that any new facility must be one that can be of efficient use even after the Olympics. Tokyu Corp., Keikyu Corp. and Tokyo Metro Co. have joined forces in proposing the construction of a “New Airport Line” (commonly known as “Kabakaba Line”).

　オリンピック開催に乗じて、東京の交通網整備に地元は期待をかけるが、財政負担を理由にその整備を渋っている東京都と関連企業との間で足並みが揃わない。東京都オリンピック・パラリンピック大会準備部輸送担当課長の松島進氏は「オリンピックのための新たなインフラ整備はない」と話す。オリンピックが終わった後でも、使える交通手段であることを示す必要がありそうだ。

　現在、東京急行電鉄（東急）、京浜急行電鉄（京急）、東京メトロが中心となって都心と羽田空港を結ぶいわゆる「蒲蒲線」の建設を予定している。

The plan calls for building an underground railway over a distance of 800 meters between Tokyu Kamata and Keikyu Kamata stations, where a number of shopping malls are located. (Kama is also pronounced “kaba”, and hence “Kabakaba Line”.) The link of the two stations will make the access between Tokyo’s southwestern subcenter and Haneda Airport remarkably shorter.

　この案は、東急蒲田駅～京急蒲田駅間の800メートルを結ぼうというものだ。路線予定地には商店街が広がるため、地下鉄での直結が計画されている。この800メートルを整備することにより、東京南西部を中心に羽田までの移動時間が格段に短くなる。

The Ota Ward, where the two stations are located, cites six merits that the new railway link will bring to the local community: (1) people will become easier to move within the ward, (2) the link will contribute to further development of the area around the two stations that function as terminals for the existing suburban lines, (3) the new line will make an access to Haneda Airport much easier, (4) it will also provide an easier access to Tokyo’s areas north of Tokyo Metro’s Fukutoshin (subcenter) Line, (5) the line will expand the traffic networks linking Haneda Airport, the Kamata area, the northern subcenter and the areas north of Ikebukuro and (6) the link can be useful as a detour during an emergency when people cannot rely on other lines. The third point is particularly important because an easier access to Haneda Airport is imperative as people become increasingly dependent on the airport which is now open to more international flights.

地元の大田区が挙げる利便性は、(１)　同区内の移動利便性の向上、(２)　都市鉄道の帰節点としてのターミナル機能を持つ蒲田エリアの発展に寄与、(３)　羽田空港へのアクセス強化、(４)　東京メトロ副都心線以北エリアとのアクセス性向上、(５)　羽田空港～蒲田～副都心～池袋以北を結ぶネットワーク拡充、(６)　他路線が緊急時に迂回ルートとして利用できる　－　の6つである。特に(３)は、国際線化が進む今日、ますます需要が増す羽田空港へのアクセス強化は重要なファクターだ。

  However, the problem about the proposed project is that the short 800-meter line would cost as much as 108 billion yen to build. According to an estimate by the Ota Ward office, the central government, the metropolitan government and the ward each would defray one third of the cost and they would make the line operation profitable in 24 years. Tokyu Corp. is positive about the plan in hopes of pulling in more passengers as the number of tourists visiting Japan increases in keeping with progress in globalization. On the other hand, the metropolitan government is reluctant from the viewpoint of cost. Humihiro Abe, chief of its Traffic Planning Section, said, “The project may surely add to the people’s convenience. But there are still many problems to be addressed in terms of profitability.” Keikyu Corp. is waiting to see how the metropolitan government will act. The company is concerned that the new line might lead to a drop in the number of passengers for its existing line.    

　しかし、問題はこの800メートルの線路を整備するのに実に1080億円もの費用が必要な点だ。大田区の試算では総事業費のうち、国（中央政府）と地方（都と大田区）が３分の１ずつ負担し、24年後の黒字転換を目指す。国際化による観光客の集客を狙って東急電鉄はこの案に前向きな姿勢を見せるが、東京都は費用の面から乗り気ではない。「利便性は増すが、採算性を考えると課題は多い」と都交通企画課の安部文洋課長は言う。京急電鉄は東京都の動向を見る姿勢をとっている。同社はこの新路線により、自社の既存路線での利用客が減少しかねないと懸念を持つ。

  There is an idea to make it a single-track line to save the total cost. But a train can be served only every 12 minutes on such line to the detriment of convenience. Yukio Takahashi, president of the Real Estate Economic Institute, said, “Various ideas should be considered to save the cost.” For example, an aerial ropeway is being planned instead of an underground railway. How will the parties concerned come to terms by overcoming their differences?

　総事業費を抑えるために、単線で車両を行き来させる計画も挙げられているが、それだと12分に1本のペースの運行になってしまい利便性が低い。この800メートル間を「いろんな発想で交通体系を考えるべき」と不動産経済研究所の高橋幸雄社長は提案する。例えば、地下鉄ではなく代わりにロープウェーにする計画も挙げられている。東京都、関係企業の間でどのような折り合いがつけられるのだろうか。

Written By:  Takuya Shintate