Can Tokyo's efficient rail system handle Olympic strain?

SUMMARY

Tokyo has one of the most advanced public transport systems in the world, but with less than one year to go before the city hosts the 2020 Olympic Games, local governments, companies and commuters are bracing for unprecedented strain the events could put on rail transit and highways.

By APAug 16, 2019 9:15:50 AM IST (Published)

Commuters make their way through a tunnel underneath the clusters of platform signs at Shinjuku Station during morning rush hours in Tokyo. Tokyo has one of the most advanced public transport systems in the world, but with less than one year to go before the city hosts the 2020 Olympic Games, local governments, companies and commuters are bracing for unprecedented strain the events could put on rail transit and highways. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

An officer monitors the flow of public transportation in front of a screen showing Tokyo's web of train lines at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's traffic control centre in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A station attendant tells commuters to bring their feet inside an overcrowded train before the doors closed during morning rush hours at Kiba Station in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A train packed with commuters travels through the Shinjuku district of Tokyo during evening rush hours. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A station attendant watches as a commuter struggles to squeeze himself into an overcrowded train during morning rush hours at Akasaka Mitsuke Station in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Commuters travel in an overcrowded train during morning rush hours in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Commuters wait for trains to arrive during evening rush hours at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Commuters are seen through the window of an overcrowded train during morning rush hours at Kiba Station in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)