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Page first written 22 April 2001
Last updated 8 August 2011 Sobu Line Sumida River Bridge"Visiting bridges"
AbstractThis page contains photos of JR Sobu Line Sumida River Bridge. The bridge is the first railway bridge in Japan with so-called "Langer girder" (arch stiffened plate girder) structure. The portion of Sobu Line between Ryogoku and Ochanomizu stations, where this bridge is located, was inaugurated in 1932; the link was part of the revival project of Tokyo after it was severely damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. Many new technologies were introduced in the construction of the link, which made it one of the major epoch in the history of railways in Japan. Not only new technologies, but the design concepts were also superior. The greatest one can be seen in the design of Ochanomizu Station --- two narrow platforms can handle hundreds of thousands of passengers per day, thanks to the layout of tracks with two cubic crossings and station building design that let passengers flow smoothly. The railway infrastructures built in postwar period when Japan had been enjoying the high economic growth have only inferior concepts. However, the time has changed. I think that the railway operators in and around Tokyo will make considerable change in the services they provide, possibly by modifying their installations. The modifications that might happen will not be large-scale, but with many new concepts and ideas as is seen here.
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