Himeji Station

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Himeji Station
姫路駅
Location
Prefecture Hyōgo
(See other stations in Hyōgo)
City Himeji
History
Year opened 1888
Rail services
Operator(s) West Japan Railway Company
Line(s) Sanyo Shinkansen
Sanyō Main Line (JR Kobe Line)
Bantan Line
Kishin Line

Himeji Station (姫路駅, Himeji Eki) on the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) is located in the heart of Himeji, Japan. Himeji is a major stop on the Sanyō Main Line, and the western end of the JR Kobe Line. The station serves as a connection point between the main line and the Sanyō Shinkansen, the Kishin Line and the Bantan Line.

The station building is located close to the Sanyo Electric Railway Himeji Station and Himeji Castle.

Contents

[edit] Platforms

The construction of overhead lines for old line has been taken in Himeji Station and the neighborhood section since 1989. On March 26, 2006, some platforms became overhead railway. The construction will be completed in 2010.

Platforms (from March 26, 2006)
Ground-level local line platforms
0, 1 Kishin Line for Harima-Shingu, Sayo
31, 32, 33 Bantan Line for Fukusaki, Teramae
Limited Express Hamakaze (No. 33) for Kinosaki Onsen, Tottori
for Osaka (JR Kobe Line)
Elevated main line platforms
5, 6 JR Kobe Line (Sanyō Main Line) (eastbound) for Akashi, Sannomiya, Osaka
Limited Express Super Hakuto (eastbound) for Osaka, Kyoto
Overnight limited express trains (eastbound) for Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo
7, 8 Sanyō Main Line (westbound) for Banshu-Ako, Aioi, Okayama
Limited Express Super Hakuto (westbound) for Tottori, Kurayoshi
Overnight limited express trains (westbound) for Kyūshū, Shikoku, San'in
(no platform) Freight trains (JR Freight, westbound)  


Elevated Shinkansen platforms
11 Sanyo Shinkansen (eastbound) for Shin-Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo
(some trains depart from No.13 in the early morning)
12, 13 Sanyo Shinkansen (westbound) for Okayama, Hirosima, Hakata

[edit] History

Himeji Station was opened by Sanyo Railway (山陽鉄道 Sanyō Tetsudō?), the present day Sanyō Main Line, in 1888. At the time, railway stations were usually built either outside or alongside urban areas,[1] but Himeji Station was built bordering the old city walls, at the end of the main street (Ootemae-dori). The current Sanyo Railway Station is actually constructed on top of part of the old city wall.[2] It is thought that the reason was that the army was based in Himeji Castle. This proximity to the city helped to contribute to urban development.[3]

Himeji Station was linked to Bantan Railway (播但鉄道 Bantan Tetsudō?), the present day Bantan Line, in 1894. Kishin Line was linked to the station in 1930.

The station was expanded with the opening of the Sanyō Shinkansen in 1972, and today, travel to Tokyo takes less than three-and-a-half hours.

[edit] Adjacent stations

West Japan Railway (JR-West)

Sanyo Shinkansen
Nishi-Akashi - Himeji - Aioi
Sanyo Main Line
Special Rapid Service
Kakogawa - Himeji - Agaho
Local (Rapid Service to the east of Nishi-Akashi and from the east of Akashi)
Gochaku - Himeji - Agaho
Bantan Line
Himeji - Kyoguchi
Kishin Line
Local
Himeji - Harima-Takaoka
Rapid Service (only one Himeji-bound train in the morning)
Himeji <- Hon-Tashuno

[edit] References


34°49′40″N 134°41′27″E / 34.827659, 134.690769