Iidabashi Station (飯田橋駅, Iidabashi-eki) is a major interchange railway station which straddles Tokyo's Chiyoda, Shinjuku and Bunkyōwards. It was originally built as Iidamachi Station (albeit in a slightly different location), terminus of the then Kōbu Railway, precursor to today's Chūō Line. The Ōedo Line addition to the station in 2000 was designed by architect Makoto Sei Watanabe.[1]
The JR East station has one island platform, serving the up and down local lines; there is no platform for the parallel rapid double track (for longer-distance commuter and express Chūō Line trains). The station is located on the inside of the Outer Moat. It is elevated over Mejiro-dori, a major thoroughfare from the Imperial Palace towards Ikebukuro.
The present-day JR East station opened on 15 November 1928.[2]
The station facilities of the Tozai, Namboku and Yurakucho Lines were inherited by Tokyo Metro after the privatization of the Teito Rapid Transit Authority (TRTA) in 2004.[3]
In 2014, it was announced that the JR East platforms were to be moved and rebuilt approximately 200 m southwest to reduce platform gaps on a sharply curved section of the platform.[4][5] The new platforms, along with a new west station building, opened on July 12, 2020.[6] In 2022, a large-scale renovation and redevelopment of the station and its environs was launched. With completion scheduled for 2026, the "Iidabashi Station East Area Redevelopment Project" will add a 24-floor mixed-use building to the station complex, containing residential, commercial, and shopping space as well as restaurants.[7]
In fiscal 2013, the JR East station was used by an average of 91,196 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the 46th-busiest JR East station.[8] Over the same fiscal year, the Tokyo Metro station was used by an average of 173,224 passengers daily (exiting and entering passengers), making it the twelfth-busiest station operated by Tokyo Metro.[9] In fiscal 2013, the Toei station was used by an average of 14,577 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[10] The average daily passenger figures for JR East and Tokyo Metro in previous years are as shown below.
Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden can be reached by walking from this station.
The Iidabashi district extends south and west of the station, and the Kagurazaka extends north and east. The station spans the Kanda River, which separates these two neighborhoods and at this point runs from the southwest towards the northeast.
^各駅情報（飯田橋駅） [Station Information (Iidabashi Station)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
^"「営団地下鉄」から「東京メトロ」へ" [From "Teito Rapid Transit Authority" to "Tokyo Metro"]. Tokyo Metro Online. 8 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
^ＪＲ中央線飯田橋駅ホームにおける抜本的な安全対策の着手について [Start on major safety improvements on JR Chuo Line Iidabashi Station platforms] (PDF). News release (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
^ ab各駅の乗車人員 （2013年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2013)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 6 May 2001. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^ ab各駅の乗降人員ランキング [Station usage ranking] (in Japanese). Tokyo Metro. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅乗降人員一覧 [Station usage figures] (in Japanese). Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗車人員 （2000年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2000)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗車人員 （2005年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗車人員 （2010年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2010)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗車人員 （2011年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2011)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^駅別乗降人員順位表（2011年度1日平均） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2011)] (in Japanese). Japan: Tokyo Metro. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗車人員 （2012年度） [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2012)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
^各駅の乗降人員ランキング (2012年) [Station usage ranking (2012)] (in Japanese). Tokyo Metro. Retrieved 18 September 2014.
Tokyo Metro
Toei Subway
Seibu Ikebukuro Line for Hannō
Sotetsu Main Line for Ebina via the Tokyu/Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama Line
