Tokyo is a super-high density city. More than 30 million people live in this small metropolitan area. It has been spreading into the air, underground and into the suburbs. They are skyscrapers, underground shopping malls, subways, underground expressways and suburban new towns. Is there any space left?
Yes, there is. We still have vast spaces in the center of the city. One of the typical examples is the overhead spaces of surface railway stations. Look at the top photo. It is Japan's largest expressway bus terminal constructed just above the platforms of JR East Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku is the world's largest railway station. The ridership of this giant terminal is 3.5 million passengers per day. Trains of six operators arrive at and leave this station. The largest operator, namely JR East, has a surface station there. In other words, they have a vast overhead space just above the platforms. The best utilization for this space is the expressway bus terminal, as it is convenient for passengers to change from and to the trains.
On April 4th this year, Japan's largest expressway bus terminal, named Basta Shinjuku, was opened just above the JR East's railway platforms. A total of 1,625 services operated by 118 companies arrive at and leave this giant terminal every day. It is always busy with passengers, who are mainly young people and tourists who can afford the time.
Yes, there is. We still have vast spaces in the center of the city. One of the typical examples is the overhead spaces of surface railway stations. Look at the top photo. It is Japan's largest expressway bus terminal constructed just above the platforms of JR East Shinjuku Station.
Shinjuku is the world's largest railway station. The ridership of this giant terminal is 3.5 million passengers per day. Trains of six operators arrive at and leave this station. The largest operator, namely JR East, has a surface station there. In other words, they have a vast overhead space just above the platforms. The best utilization for this space is the expressway bus terminal, as it is convenient for passengers to change from and to the trains.
On April 4th this year, Japan's largest expressway bus terminal, named Basta Shinjuku, was opened just above the JR East's railway platforms. A total of 1,625 services operated by 118 companies arrive at and leave this giant terminal every day. It is always busy with passengers, who are mainly young people and tourists who can afford the time.
Official information of Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal (in Japanese):