Mita Line — Tokyo subway
Blue Toei line from Meguro to Nishi-takashimadaira, sharing its southern end with the Namboku Line.
The Mita Line at a glance
The Mita Line runs 26.5 km from Nishi-takashimadaira in Itabashi to Meguro in Shinagawa, and takes its name from the Mita district in Minato; a Tokyo tram line called the Mita Line had run above ground along part of the same route since 1904.
Between Shirokane-takanawa and Meguro the track and three stations are shared with the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line, the only place on the Tokyo subway where the two operators own and run common infrastructure. It is also the only Toei line built to 1,067 mm narrow gauge, and the first line in the Tokyo subway to be fitted with low, chest-height platform gates.
What to watch out for on the Mita Line
Every station on the Mita Line
27 stations in order with their station numbers. A ringed dot marks a station where you can transfer; the small coloured dots are the other lines there.
Meguro ↔ Nishi-takashimadaira
27 stations
Service hours on the Mita Line
| Timetable | First – last departure on the line |
|---|---|
| Weekdays | 05:00 – 00:43 |
| Saturdays, Sundays & holidays | 05:00 – 00:43 |
Departure times come from the operators’ own GTFS timetables (ODPT GTFS Toei-Train-GTFS (version 20261009, valid 2026-03-14..2027-03-12) + TokyoMetro-Train-GTFS (version 20261008, valid 2026-09-19..2027-03-12)). Japan publishes two subway timetables: 平日 weekdays and 土休日 Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. There is no separate Sunday timetable, and the December 30 – January 3 period runs the holiday timetable. Each station page gives its own first and last train by direction.
How often trains run
| Timetable | Morning peak (08:00) | Midday (12:00) | Evening (21:00) | Measured at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekdays | 3.3 min | 6 min | 6.6 min | Sengoku |
| Saturdays, Sundays & holidays | 5.5 min | 6 min | 6.6 min | Sengoku |
Average gap between trains in one direction at the busiest station of the line.
Where you can transfer
| Station | Other lines | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| I01 Meguro | NNamboku | Tokyo Metro |
| I02 Shirokanedai | NNamboku | Tokyo Metro |
| I03 Shirokane-takanawa | NNamboku | Tokyo Metro |
| I04 Mita | AAsakusa | Toei Subway |
| I08 Hibiya | HHibiya CChiyoda | Tokyo Metro |
| I09 Otemachi | MMarunouchi TTozai CChiyoda ZHanzomon | Tokyo Metro |
| I10 Jimbocho | ZHanzomon SShinjuku | Toei Subway Tokyo Metro |
| I12 Kasuga | EOedo | Toei Subway |
A transfer to a line of the other company is a change of railway as well as of platform: your fare is the sum of the two, less the connecting discount. See fares.
Transfers on foot to a differently named station
These are official transfers recorded by the operators between stations with different names. The walking time is our estimate from the distance between the platforms — no operator publishes transfer walking times.
History
The line began in 1957 as a proposed northern branch of what is now the Tozai Line, serving Otemachi to Itabashi. A 1962 revision made it independent as Line 6 and handed construction to the metropolitan government. What it was supposed to connect to changed repeatedly. There were plans to run to Toda in Saitama to serve a rowing venue for the 1964 Olympics, and a Saitama proposal to run through as far as Omiya. In 1964 the design settled on a Tobu Tojo connection at the northern end and a Tokyu connection at the southern one, which is why the line was built to narrow gauge with 20 m cars, unlike its Toei neighbours.
Both companies then decided to work with the Teito Rapid Transit Authority instead, and the metropolitan government built the middle of the line and left the ends open. Sugamo to Takashimadaira, 10.4 km, opened on 27 December 1968, followed by Hibiya on 30 June 1972, Mita on 27 November 1973, and the short extension to Nishi-takashimadaira on 6 May 1976. The line then ran between Mita and Nishi-takashimadaira for 24 years. In 1985 the ministry finally settled the southern extension and shelved the northern plans, and on 26 September 2000 the last 4 km to Meguro opened, with through services to the Tokyu Meguro Line from the same day. Sotetsu through services began on 18 March 2023.
Trains and service
Two timetables are published, 平日 for weekdays and 土休日 for Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays. First trains leave about 05:00 and the last about 00:43, with nothing running overnight. Measured at Sengoku, weekday trains come about every three minutes in the morning peak and every six to seven minutes at midday and in the evening; the Saturday and holiday service is close to six minutes through the day. All trains call at every station. Through services run south from Meguro onto the Tokyu Meguro Line for Hiyoshi, on to Shin-yokohama, and over the Sotetsu lines to Ebina and Shonandai, with some peak trips turning back at Musashi-kosugi.
Rolling stock
Toei runs 6300 series six-car sets, in service since 1993, and 6500 series eight-car sets introduced on 14 May 2022. Through running adds Tokyu 3000, 3020 and 5080 series eight-car trains and, since 18 March 2023, Sotetsu 21000 series sets. The depot is at Shimura, next to Takashimadaira. Platform doors were extended across the line for eight-car operation by the end of 2020, ahead of the Sotetsu services.
Frequently asked questions
Because between Meguro and Shirokane-takanawa there is only one railway. A 1985 decision put the two planned lines on a single pair of tracks rather than building them side by side, so Toei and Tokyo Metro share the right of way and three stations. Which company’s fare applies on that stretch depends on where your journey ends.
Because of a plan that fell through. In 1964 the line was to run through onto the Tobu Tojo Line in the north and the Tokyu network in the south, so it was built to their 1,067 mm gauge with 20 m cars. Both companies then chose to work with the Teito Rapid Transit Authority instead, leaving the Mita Line as the only Toei line on narrow gauge.
Nothing was built. Extensions towards Toda and Omiya were discussed in the early 1960s, and the stretch north of Takashimadaira had been licensed to Tobu before being transferred to Toei, which opened it in 1976. In 1985 the ministry shelved all further northern plans, largely because the Saikyo Line was being built through the same area.