Commuters Wait for the Ome-Bound Train at Shinjuku Station

Crowds of commuters queue on a platform at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo during evening rush hour.
Crowds of commuters queue on a platform at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo during evening rush hour.

Shinjuku Station handles more than three million passengers a day, a figure that has earned it recognition from Guinness World Records as the busiest train station on Earth. The complex is shared by JR East, Keio, and Odakyu, along with the Tokyo Metro and Toei subway lines, linking more than 200 exits to the surrounding district. JR East's Chuo-Sobu and Yamanote lines run through platforms like this one, carrying commuters bound for destinations such as Ome, still visible on the departure boards common throughout the station. The station's platforms and passageways were built up over decades to accommodate ridership that grew alongside Tokyo's postwar expansion, and the crowding during peak evening hours remains a routine part of daily commuting in the city.

Taken March 2023

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Tokyo
Transit infrastructure and urban life across central and western Tokyo districts
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Tokyo Trains
JR East, Tokyo Metro, Toei and Keisei lines — platforms, gates, signage and track infrastructure across central Tokyo
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