Opinions and Responses

Regarding the Passenger Service of the Musashino South Line and Others

The previous proposal regarding the passenger service of the Musashino South Line involved branching off near Inagi Station and terminating at Shin-Yurigaoka, thereby connecting the missing link of the Tokyo Mega Loop.
Some time has passed since the previous proposal, and the situation has somewhat changed. There has been a delay in the start of construction of the Blue Line subway (Azamino to Shin-Yurigaoka). This delay is attributed to a decline in demand forecasts, making it difficult to open by 2030 as initially planned.
It is precisely this slump in demand forecasts that increases the usefulness of this proposal. If the Musashino Line is extended to Shin-Yurigaoka, the Blue Line can also expect passenger inflow from the Musashino Line. This will complete the north-south axis in the eastern Tama region, and more broadly, the travel route from Saitama to Yokohama. For Inagi City, it will become easier to access areas north and south such as Hirao and Fuchu from the city center, and the area around Inagi Station is expected to develop as a key transportation hub where transfers are possible. In recent years, in the Momura Koyodai area, which was developed relatively recently, aging, reduced bus services, and the closure of restaurants and bookstores have progressed, raising concerns about the deterioration of living convenience. This proposal has the potential to fundamentally change such conditions. Additionally, since this proposal also concerns neighboring municipalities, close cooperation with cities such as Kawasaki is desirable when implementing it.

[Regarding the Issue of Elevation Differences within the City]
Inagi City is located in the Tama Hills and has many steep slopes. Currently, iBus and route buses operate within the city, but in some areas, the service frequency is about one bus per hour, and there are many restrictions such as the need to take significant detours to reach destinations. Therefore, we are considering installing elevators that can accommodate bicycles and wheelchairs in locations with large elevation differences and expected steady demand to improve mobility barriers caused by elevation differences. What are your thoughts on this? While we are aware of on-demand transportation measures, we believe that infrastructure that anyone can use anytime without reservations is also important.

Response

Regarding the passenger service on the JR Musashino South Line, it has not been positioned as a concrete project in the "Wide-Area Transportation Network Plan" announced by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in 2015 or in the April 2016 report by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's Transport Policy Council. Including the proposal to branch off the Musashino South Line and extend it to Shin-Yurigaoka Station, we consider the feasibility to be extremely difficult.
Therefore, our city has been focusing on the extension of the Musashino South Line from Fuchu-Hommachi Station to Inagi Station, which is considered realistic and expected to have a high investment effect, aiming to improve access from the Musashino Line in conjunction with the opening of the Linear Chuo Shinkansen after 2027 and the new station near Hashimoto Station on the Keio Sagamihara Line. We have been making requests to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government regarding this matter.
Regarding elevators to address elevation differences within the city, the city has installed them in the station plazas of Keio Yomiuriland Station on the Keio Sagamihara Line and Wakabadai Station, where there are elevation differences, targeting pedestrians and wheelchair users who frequently use trains, buses, and other transportation. Moving forward, we intend to consider installing elevators when constructing pedestrian bridges and other facilities to further improve convenience for pedestrians and wheelchair users.

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