【駅探訪No.49】都営三田線 西高島平駅にて(At Nishi-takashimadaira Station on the Toei Mita Line)

The Nishi-takashimadaira station, located at Itabashi Ward in Tokyo, Japan, is a terminal of Toei Mita line. This station is also a northernmost subway station in Tokyo's 23 wards. * Toei means operation by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. The station was opened on 6th May, 1976, and it has a daily ridership of 12,048 passengers in 2011. I took this movie of station, vicinity and trains at Nishi-takashimadaira station on the Toei Mita line. In spite of subway terminal, the Nishi-takashimadaira station has a two-storied elevated concrete building. Because of the Takashima Avenue along south of the station, there are few spaces in front of the station. There are some distribution warehouses and track parkings along northern station accorss a narrow street. The narrow space in front of the station is occupied by parked bikes. The park between Nishi-takashimadaira station and residential zone had a role to abate traffic noise from the Takashima Avenue. Takashimadaira is famous for housing complex but there are mainly detached houses and apartments in front of Nishi-takashimadaira station. Some pedestrian walkways are constructed over the Takashima Avenue and Shin-Omiya Bypass (National Route 17). About 500 meters west after crossing over the Shin-Omiya Bypass you will come into Saitama prefecture. Under the elevated railway tracks there are Japanese-style pub, Chinese eating place, and mercantile store. The local buses operated by Kokusai Kogyo Bus go to Takashimadaira yard and Narimasu station on the Tobu Tojo line. Major station facilities are consolidate on the large first floor concourse. On the first floor there are three beverage and ice cream vending machines, baggage lockers, a public phone, an automated teller machine of Japan Post Bank, and an identification photograph machine. There are three automatic ticket machines and three automatic ticket gates. There is a lavatory in the most remote part of the wicket. Because of subway terminal without commerce facilities, there are few passengers except during rush hours. The number of trains from Nishi-takashimadaira station is 180 on weekdays and 165 on weekends and holidays. 13 trains depart from Nishi-takashimadaira station every three to eight minutes during rush hour around 7 o'clock on weekdays. Nishi-takashimadaira station has two tracks with two platforms. The platform barriers are compatible with running mode without conductors on boaed. There are no turning side tracks. The tracks ends at the western edge of platform. Intrinsically this station was supposed to be constructed by the Tobu Railway on the route between Takashimadaira (two station earlier from Nishi-takashimadaira) and Wakoshi. However Tobu changed the plan to going directly to the Yurakucho line. The planned route in Tokyo area was constructed by Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Until 1980s there is an other plan to build an extension to werstern Omiya in Saitama. However this plan is also abolished after replace by road construction. The length of platform can corresponds to change 6-car-long to 8-car-long sometime in the future. Each platform and concourse are connected with stairs, escalators and elevators. It takes about 600 meters between Nishi-takashimadaira and Shin-takashimadaira. So you can see the trains on the next station.