A consortium that includes Tokyo Metro will be awarded a contract to operate London’s Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the country’s capital city and environs.

It is the first overseas deal involving actual line operations for newly listed Tokyo Metro and could help address concerns about the growth potential of a passenger rail business in depopulating Japan.

“In my opinion, expanding into overseas markets is a positive thing,” said Kazuta Fukushima, a senior research officer at Sompo Institute Plus, a Tokyo-based think tank.