Tokyo's Yamanote loop line service was partially suspended for two days through Sunday due to construction work to elevate railway tracks and platforms at bustling Shibuya Station.
Train operator East Japan Railway Co. estimated that the suspension and schedule changes, including the halting of about 590 train runs, would affect some 640,000 people.
It suspended services on the "inner loop" between Osaki and Ikebukuro stations all day Sunday after the whole-day suspension on the "outer loop" in the same section Saturday.
Train services on the Yamanote line will return to normal from Monday morning, said the company, also known as JR East.
Along with redevelopment projects carried out near Shibuya Station, four major construction works had been undertaken at the station, and the latest one, the fifth of its kind, is the last one that requires service suspensions, according to the company.
"We want to make Shibuya Station more spacious and user friendly," said Kan Ito, construction manager of the railway operator.
During the construction work, train services were reduced on the rest of the loop line Saturday and Sunday, while thousands of workers participated in the two-day construction work to elevate the railway tracks and platforms by up to 20 centimeters to make them level with the adjacent JR Saikyo Line.
To make up for the service reduction, the frequency of trains was increased between Shin-Kiba and Akabane stations on the Saikyo Line and Rinkai Line.
The entire renovation of Shibuya Station is expected to be completed in fiscal 2027, according to the railway operator.
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