TheTokyo Metro Yurakucho Line (東京メトロ有楽町線,Tōkyō Metoro Yūrakuchō-sen) is asubway line in Japan owned and operated byTokyo Metro. The line connectsWakōshi Station inWakō, Saitama andShin-Kiba Station inKōtō, Tokyo. On maps, diagrams and signboards, the line is shown using the color "gold", and its stations are given numbers using the letter "Y".

Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line
A Yūrakuchō Line 17000 series train
Overview
Other name(s)	Y
Native name	東京メトロ有楽町線
Owner	Tokyo Metro
Line number	8
Locale	Tokyo
Termini	Wakōshi Shin-Kiba
Stations	24
Color on map	Gold (#C1A470)
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Tokyo Subway
Operator(s)	Tokyo Metro
Depot(s)	Wakō, Shin-Kiba
Rolling stock	Tokyo Metro 10000 series Tokyo Metro 17000 series Seibu 6000 and 6050 series Seibu 40000 and 40050 series Tobu 9000 and 9050 series Tobu 50070 series Tokyu 5050-4000 series (less commonly used)
Daily ridership	1,124,478[1]
History
Opened	30 October 1974; 50 years ago (1974-10-30)
Last extension	8 June 1988; 37 years ago (1988-06-08)
Technical
Line length	28.3 km (17.6 mi)
Number of tracks	Double-track
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Minimum radius	150 m (490 ft)
Electrification	1,500 V DC (overhead line)
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Train protection system	New CS-ATC,ATO
Maximum incline	3.5%
Route map Legend TJ Tōjō Line Wakō Depot Y01 Wakōshi TJ Tōjō Line Y02 Chikatetsu-narimasu Y03 Chikatetsu-akatsuka Y04 Heiwadai Y05 Hikawadai Seibu Yūrakuchō Line Y06 Kotake-Mukaihara Y07 Senkawa Y08 Kanamechō Yamanote,Saikyō & Shōnan-Shinjuku lines JYJAJS Y09 Ikebukuro TJ Tōjō Line   Seibu Ikebukuro Line JYJAJS Yamanote,Saikyō &Shōnan-Shinjuku lines MMarunouchi Line FFukutoshin Line Y10 Higashi-ikebukuro SAArakawa Line Y11 Gokokuji Y12 Edogawabashi JB Chūō–Sōbu Line Y13 Iidabashi NTE Namboku Line, Tōzai Line,Ōedo Line Y14 Ichigaya SN Toei Shinjuku & Namboku lines JB Chūō–Sōbu Line Y15 Kōjimachi Y16 Nagatachō ZN Hanzōmon & Namboku lines Ginza &Marunouchi lines atAkasaka-mitsuke GM Namboku Line N Y17 Sakuradamon Hibiya,Chiyoda & Mita lines atHibiya HCI Y18 Yūrakuchō JYJK Yamanote & Keihin-Tōhoku lines M Marunouchi Line Marunouchi &Ginza lines atGinza MG Y19 Ginza-itchōme G Ginza Line A Asakusa Line Y20 Shintomichō H-11Tsukiji H Hibiya Line Sumidagawa Y21 Tsukishima EŌedo Line Yurikamome U Y22 Toyosu Y23 Tatsumi Rinkai Line R JE Keiyō Line Y24 Shin-Kiba Shin-Kiba Depot JE Keiyō Line

The line was named after theYūrakuchō business district inChiyoda, Tokyo. The proper name as given in an annual report of theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is Line No. 8 Yūrakuchō Line (8号線有楽町線,Hachi-gō-sen Yūrakuchō-sen).^[2] According to the Tokyo urban transportation plan, however, it is more complicated. The line number assigned to the section south from Kotake-Mukaihara to Shin-Kiba is Line 8, but that north of Kotake-Mukaihara to Wakōshi is Line 13, which indicates the section is a portion ofFukutoshin Line which shares the same number.^{[citation needed]}

The Yurakucho Line runs generally northwest to southeast betweenWakōshi Station inSaitama Prefecture andShin-Kiba Station inKōtō Ward. Although it was originally planned as a bypass for the establishedMarunouchi Line through central Tokyo, it was also built to serve the developing wards ofItabashi,Nerima,Toshima, and Koto. The section between Wakōshi and Kotake-mukaihara shares tracks with its sister line, theTokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line.

The Yurakucho Line hasinter-running counterparts on its northern side, both of which are "major" Japaneseprivate railway companies inGreater Tokyo. One is theTobu Railway at Wakōshi, north toShinrin-kōen. The other is theSeibu Railway atKotake-Mukaihara with its bypass lineSeibu Yūrakuchō Line connecting to its mainIkebukuro Line, through trains north toKotesashi orHannō.

According to theTokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, as of June 2009 the Yurakucho Line is the fifth most crowded subway line in Tokyo, at its peak running at 173% capacity betweenHigashi-Ikebukuro andGokokuji stations.^[3]

Semi-express (準急) services ran on the Yurakucho Line between 14 June 2008 and 6 March 2010, operating twice hourly between Wakōshi and Shin-Kiba. Between Wakōshi and Ikebukuro, semi-express trains stopped only at Kotake-Mukaihara; between Ikebukuro and Shin-Kiba, trains stopped at all stations. The semi-express trains ran between rush hours during weekdays and more frequently on weekends and holidays. These services were abolished and replaced with local services on 6 March 2010.^[4]

• All stations are located inTokyo.
• Local trains stop at every station.
  • S-Train services stop at the stations indicated by "●" and "↑" (alighting only during the morning, boarding only during the evening) and pass all stations indicated by "|".

All types are operated as 10-car sets.

• Tokyo Metro 10000 series (from September 2006)
• Tokyo Metro 17000 series (from 21 February 2021)

•  
  A Tokyo Metro 10000 series EMU
•  
  A Tokyo Metro 17000 series EMU

• Seibu 6000 series
• Seibu 40000 series (S-Train services)
• Seibu 40050 series
• Tobu 9000 series
• Tobu 9050 series
• Tobu 50070 series
• Tokyu 5050-4000 series could run on the line, but only in the special case of emergency schedule adjustments.

•  
  Seibu 40000 series EMU
•  
  Seibu 6000 series EMU
•  
  Tobu 9000 series EMU
•  
  Tobu 50070 series EMU

• Tokyo Metro 7000 series (from 1974 until 29 October 2021^{[citation needed]})
• Tokyo Metro 07 series (from 1992 until 2007)^[5]
• Odakyu 60000 series MSE (Romancecar, as Limited ExpressBay Resort, occasionally)

•  
  A Tokyo Metro 7000 series EMU
•  
  A Tokyo Metro 07 series EMU
•  
  Seibu 6050 series EMU

• Wakō Depot (和光検車区) (main depot)
• Shin-Kiba Depot (新木場検車区) (responsible for minor inspections; for major ones, EMUs are forwarded to the Ayase Depot (綾瀬車両基地) on the Chiyoda Line via underground connecting tracks)
• Shin-Kiba Car Renewal (新木場CR) (specializes in railcar refurbishment: also used for Chiyoda and Hanzōmon Line railcars)

The Yurakucho line was first proposed in 1962 along with theChiyoda Line. It was originally envisioned to run betweenNakamurabashi Station andKinshicho Station. In 1968, it was later revised to run betweenChikatetsu-narimasu Station in the northwest andShintomichō Station in the southeast; the extensions to Wakoshi and Shin-kiba were not confirmed at the time.

Line 8 was planned to serve areas that were not served by the Tokyo subway network such as Nerima and Koto Wards, while providing an adequate bypass for the overcrowdingMarunouchi Line from Ikebukuro to Ginza-itchōme.^[6] This initial section began construction in 1970 and opened for revenue service on 30 October 1974 as the Yūrakuchō Line. In the late 1970s, the extensions towards Wakoshi and Shin-kiba were authorized. On 27 March 1980, the second section between Ginza-itchōme and Shintomichō section opened, while the third section between Eidan-narimasu (now Chikatetsu-narimasu) and Ikebukuro opened on 24 June 1983.

Through services with theSeibu RailwaySeibu Yūrakuchō Line began on 1 October 1983 with the opening of the Kotake-Mukaihara – Shin-Sakuradai section.^[7] The northwestern extension to Wakōshi opened on 25 August 1987, allowing through service with theTōbu Tōjō Line.^[8] The final section from Shintomichō to Shin-kiba opened on 8 June 1988, completing the current line.

On 18 March 1993,07 series EMUs introduced. On 7 December 1994, the "Yūrakuchō New Line" (now the Fukutoshin Line) opened from Kotake-mukaihara to Ikebukuro. All trains on it made Ikebukuro their terminus and did not stop at Senkawa or Kanamechō. Through service from Shin-kiba or Ikebukuro (on the New Line) toNerima on the Seibu Yūrakuchō Line began on that same day, with through operation to theSeibu Ikebukuro Line beyond Nerima beginning on 26 March 1998.

On 1 April 2004, the owner of the line changed from Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA,Eidan) to Tokyo Metro due to the former's privatization.^[9]Women-only cars were introduced on 31 October 2005.10000 series were introduced to the line on 1 September 2006.

On 3 May 2008, Limited Express "Bay Resort" (operated first from/to Odakyu Line) services began operating. On 14 June 2008, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line began service, and the Yurakuchō New Line was absorbed into it. The Yurakuchō Line shares tracks with the Fukutoshin Line between Wakōshi and Kotake-Mukaihara. Semi-Express services began running until they were abolished on 6 March 2010.

In October 2008,automatic train control was enabled on the Yurakuchō Line. On 10 September 2012, 10-car 5050-4000 series sets entered revenue service on the Yurakucho Line, with inter-running through to theTobu Tojo Line.^[10] Since 26 March 2017, Seibu operates theS-Train limited-stop express service between Toyosu and Tokorozawa on theSeibu Ikebukuro Line on weekday mornings and evenings.

On 6 August 2022, "Wanman"one-person operation began on the section betweenKotake-Mukaihara andShin-Kiba.^[11]

In 2021, plans were announced to branch the Yurakucho Line atToyosu Station, traveling north for 5.2 km (3.2 mi) connecting withToyocho on theTozai Line andSumiyoshi Station on theShinjuku Line andHanzomon Line. An additional two stations (Edagawa and Sengoku) would also be added in theKoto Ward serving the Sengoku and Toyo districts.^[12][13] Tentative names for the new stations were determined in August 2022.^[14] The branch line (nicknamed the Toyozumi Line according to official city documents) is intended to aid in redevelopment efforts in Koto Ward.^[14] As of 28 January 2022 the expected cost of construction is ¥269 billion (2021). There are also plans for a spur branching off from the plannedTokyo Rinkai Subway line atKachidoki to link up to the future Toyozumi Line (Yurakucho Line branch) platforms atToyosu Station. The branch line is expected to be in service in the mid-2030s.

On 17 April 2025, Tokyo Metro and Tobu Railway announced plans to introduce through services via the Yurakucho Line branch and Hanzomon Line to Tobu'sSkytree,Isesaki, andNikko lines.^[15]

A branch line fromToyosu Station has been planned since the early 1980s, heading north viaKameari Station (on theJōban Line) toNoda in northwestChiba Prefecture.^[16]

• Tokyo Metro website