Train operations in the Tokyo metropolitan area will be extended at night during the Tokyo Olympics this summer, the organizing committee of the quadrennial event and the Tokyo metropolitan government said Wednesday.

From July 24 through Aug. 9, or on some days during the period, the last train service will be pushed back by up to two hours at 60 lines in the greater Tokyo area, because competition events at eight venues in Tokyo, and Kanagawa and Saitama prefectures are expected to end late at night, after 11 p.m. in some cases.

On the Blue Line of the municipal subway service operated by Yokohama, the capital of Kanagawa, for example, the last trains will leave Yokohama Station around 2:20 a.m. on Aug. 4 and 7, about two hours later than usual.

In addition, extra late-night train services are expected to be offered on 13 lines around three soccer match venues outside the greater Tokyo areas--Sapporo Dome in Sapporo, the capital of the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, Kashima stadium in the city of Kashima in the eastern prefecture of Ibaraki and Miyagi stadium in the town of Rifu in the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi.

For theParalympic , the last daily train services will be pushed back by up to one hour on Aug. 25 and Sept. 6, when the opening and closing ceremonies will be held, respectively.

Train services are planned to be increased also during daytime for lines with stations close to venues that are likely to be crowded. The extra trains will be operated mainly around the time when competition events start and end.

Detailed train schedules for the extended and extra services will be released in April.

JIJI Press