Sakura-dōri Line

The Sakura-dōri Line is a subway line in Nagoya, Japan, part of the Nagoya Municipal Subway system. It runs from Taiko-dori in Nakamura Ward to in Midori Ward, all within Nagoya. The Sakura-dōri Line's color on maps is red and stations are labeled with the prefix "S". Officially, the line is called the Nagoya City Rapid Railway Line 6. All stations accept manaca, a rechargeable contactless smart card, and other major Japanese IC cards.
The first section of the line opened in 1989. Between Nagoya and Imaike, the line runs under Sakura-dōri Avenue, serving as a bypass to the Higashiyama Line. Until 2015, it was the only Nagoya Municipal Subway line to use automatic train operation.
All platforms are 8 cars long but only 5-car trains are currently operated.

Stations

All stations are in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.

Rolling stock

History

The Sakura-dōri Line was first envisioned in the Urban Transportation Council Report No. 14 as an underground line running from Nakamura Kuyakusho to Imaike, and was intended to relieve the central portion of the Higashiyama Line, which in the late-1970s operated with a crush load capacity of 250% during rush hour.
The line was opened on 10 September 1989 between Nakamura Kuyakusho and Imaike. Automatic train operation using a single driver commenced on 16 February 1994, and the line was extended from Imaike to Nonami on 30 March 1994.
From Nonami, the line was extended further east to Tokushige, in Midori-ku, on 27 March 2011. This extension also involved building a new depot near Tokushige Station, which replaced the previous depot located near Nakamura Kuyakusho Station. On 4 January 2023, Nakamura Kuyakusho was renamed to Taiko-dori. There are plans to extend the line even further, somewhere in Toyoake City or Toyota City, and to extend the line in the opposite direction, from Taiko-dori to somewhere in Ama.