Expectations of residents near Toranomon Hills Station are rising about the increased development of the community as the new Toranomon Hills Station opened in the midst of lingering negative effect from the new coronavirus pandemic.
The neighborhood surrounding the new station features offices in the Kasumigaseki district in the north, eateries and drinking establishments near the Shimbashi area in the east, and the Roppongi section in the west, where many countries have their embassies.
The area was expected to see more development, but Toranomon Station on the Ginza subway line had long been its lone stop. Thus, the aim of the station is to raise the level of convenience.
And the plans for the new station, which has been in the works for about 10 years, have finally come to fruition.
Said an Urban Renaissance Agency official: "This station is the commencement of a long-awaited project. We it not merely to be a subway station, but something that serves as a foundation for the local community."
The area surrounding the new stop includes a number of ongoing urban redevelopment projects.
Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, a 52-story multipurpose building, opened in June 2014. Construction on the Toranomon Hills Business Tower, which accommodates offices and commercial facilities, was completed in January.
A number of other buildings, including a housing complex with about 500 units targeting mainly foreign residents, are scheduled to be completed.
Many foreign companies have already made inquiries about the buildings. A Mori Building Co. official said the group of buildings "will establish a new international business base."
-- Coronavirus impact
Meanwhile, a test run of a bus rapid transit route connecting the new station with waterfronts was postponed because of the spread of the new coronavirus.
Tokyo Metro Co. expects the number of passengers who use the new station to reach about 80,000 per day five years from now. However, a Tokyo Metro official overseeing the matter expressed concern, saying, "We cannot predict demand."
The impact of the new coronavirus has been clearly evident at Takanawa Gateway Station, a stop along the Yamanote Line that opened in March.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) expected to serve as many as 23,000 passengers per day at the station, but the daily numbers for April and May were both at about just 3,000.
Kazuo Kuroyanagi, 47, is the third-generation president of Matsuya Coffee Roaster Co., a coffee shop operating for about 100 years near Toranomon Hills Station, remains hopeful.
"There's not much we can do but keep an eye out on the situation and hope there is no major impact," Kuroyanagi said. "This district had been a location packed with office workers, but I still believe it will develop into an area where members of the international community, shoppers and various other people will enjoy visiting."
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