Shiodome Freight Terminal

Shiodome Freight Terminal (汐留駅, Shiodome-eki^?) was a freight terminal of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The freight terminal was originally named Shimbashi Station (新橋駅, Shinbashi-eki^?) and served as the first railway terminal of Tokyo between 1872 and 1914.^[1]

History

Shimbashi Station was built as the Tokyo terminal of Japan's first railway between Tokyo and Yokohama, which inaugurated on October 14, 1872 (public service started on the following day). Freight service started on September 15, 1873.^[1]

The station was the main terminal of Tokyo until December 20, 1914 when the new Tokyo Station began its operation and Shimbashi Station was converted to the freight terminal named Shiodome. The name of Shimbashi Station was moved to the former Karasumori Station which is still now called Shimbashi Station.^[2]

The service as a freight terminal continued until November 1, 1986.^[1] After the closing of the freight station, the site was transferred to JNR Settlement Corporation, but the sale of the land was not allowed for years due to political consideration of the impact to the real estate market in Tokyo. The redevelopment of the land was finally started in 1995. After the excavation work which found the original platform of the passenger station and many railway-related items, the Shiodome area was opened for public as a business zone called Sio-site in 2002. In 2003, a building faithfully modeled in the original building of the Shimbashi Station was built in the original site of the station.^[3]

References