The Hibiya subway line got its first new stop in 56 years Saturday as Tokyo Metro Co. opened Toranomon Hills Station to the public.
The station, which lies between Kasumigaseki and Kamiyacho stations, is within a complex of high-rise buildings that includes 52-story Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, which opened in 2014.
It is also linked to Toranomon Station on the Ginza Line through a 450-meter passageway.
Toranomon Hills Station has two 147-meter platforms equipped with barrier gates to prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks, a first for the Hibiya Line.
The line, which opened in 1964, runs between Nakameguro and Kitasenju stations through such popular areas as Roppongi and Ebisu.
Despite the grand opening, work is still underway to build a second subterranean level where a concourse will be added to link the station to neighboring buildings.
"We do not want the station to be merely an underground transfer point, but to give it a new function of connecting to and supporting the local area," said Kunio Sakurai, an official of the government-linked Urban Renaissance Agency, which is developing the station and nearby areas in conjunction with Tokyo Metro.
Tokyo Metro said it is planning to have that floor ready for the public in 2023 and will also move the ticket gates there.
Tokyo Metro timed the station's opening date to precede the Tokyo Olympics, which was originally planned for this summer but has been postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.