Due to line-switching work at Shibuya Station, East Japan Railway will suspend operation of the Yamanote Line's clockwise service — known as the "outer loop" — between Osaki and Ikebukuro stations in Tokyo on Saturday and Sunday.
The suspension, which will commence from Saturday morning’s first train and last until the last train on Sunday night, will be the longest disruption of the Yamanote Line service since the company was established in 1987, about the same as the suspension conducted in October on the inner loop.
Roughly 530,000 passengers are expected to be impacted by the suspension, which includes major stations such as Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya.
JR East said trains will continue operation in other parts of the outer loop but that the frequency will be reduced to about 30% to 40% of usual levels, arriving roughly every 10 minutes. The inner loop will be running at about 70% of usual levels.
To compensate for the disruption, JR East will increase the number of Saikyo and Rinkai line trains running between Shinkiba and Akabane stations.
Extra trains will also be added between Osaki and Shinjuku stations using the tracks of the Saikyo and Shonan Shinjuku lines.
JR East is also urging people to take trains operated by other railway companies, such as Tokyo Metro.
The suspension is a part of ongoing construction work at Shibuya Station and surrounding areas. Currently, Shibuya Station has separate platforms for inner and outer loop Yamanote Line trains, but the track relocation will consolidate them into one platform.