On March 1st, JR East celebrated the 140th anniversary of Shinjuku Station. To mark this special occasion, several commemorative events are being held by the company.
Let me briefly look back at the history of Shinjuku Station. It’s a giant terminal located in the subcenter of Tokyo Metropolis, where trains of five private companies and one public corporation come and go. The station was originally opened by the Nippon Railway Company (present-day JR East) in 1885. At that time, it stood on the outskirts of the city, but since the 1920s, it has grown into one of Japan’s largest terminal stations. Today, it handles around three million passengers every day.
Now, let’s get down to the main topic. One of the anniversary events is the display of two commemorative plates on trainset A522 of the E231-500 series. The plates feature an illustration of an old yellow-colored train — probably the former JNR 101 series. I still remember when the yellow 101 series often stopped at Shinjuku Station until the 1980s. After their retirement from JR East lines, some of these trains were transferred to the Chichibu Railway.
What lies ahead for Shinjuku Station? The “Shinjuku Grand Terminal” redevelopment project is now underway. This large-scale joint project between the public and private sectors will continue on the west side of the station until the 2040s. For example, the Odakyu Department Store building was demolished last year to make way for a new skyscraper. It’s a promising start, but there’s still a long way to go.
Congratulations on the 140th anniversary, Shinjuku Station!
Close-up view of the 140th anniversary plate