Shibukawa Station
Shibukawa 渋川 | |
|---|---|
 Limited express Kusatsu at Shibukawa | |
| Location |
1651-4 Shibukawa, Shibukawa, Gunma （群馬県渋川市渋川1651-4） Japan |
| Operated by | JR East |
| Line(s) | |
| History | |
| Opened | 1921 |
| Traffic | |
| Passengers (FY2013) | 1,022 daily |
Shibakawa Station (渋川駅 Shibukawa-eki) is a railway station on the Jōetsu Line in Shibukawa, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Shibukawa Station is a station on the Jōetsu Line, and is located 21.1 rail kilometers from the starting point of the line at Takasaki. It is also the official terminal station of the Agatsuma Line, and is 55.3 kilometers from the opposing terminus at Ōmae.
Station layout
The station has a single side platform and a single island platform connected to the station building by an overhead passage. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi ticket office. From the bus terminal, local buses leave bound for Takasaki Station, Maebashi Station, Ikaho, Nakanojō Station, Numata direction, and other destinations. Long distance buses leave for Tokyo, Osaka, and other destinations. A taxi stand is located straight out from the main door of the station. In the center of the sidewalk portion of the rotary is a large map of Japan; there is a sculpture in the center of the map, at the point where Shibukawa (the geographical center of Japan) is located.
Platforms
| 1 | ■ Jōetsu Line | for Minakami |
| ■ Agatsuma Line | for Nakanojō, Naganohara-Kusatsuguchi | |
| 2, 3 | ■ Jōetsu Line | for Shin-Maebashi, Takasaki |
| ■ Agatsuma Line | for Takasaki, Ueno |
Adjacent stations
| « | Service | » | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jōetsu Line | ||||
| Yagihara | - | Shikishima | ||
| Agatsuma Line | ||||
| Yagihara | - | Kanashima | ||
History
Shibukawa Station opened on 1 July 1921. Upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, it came under the control of JR East.
Former tram lines
A series of lines were centred on this station, all except the Ikaho Line started as horse-drawn tramways built by individual companies, some of which subsequently amalgamated with others and which were upgraded over time to electrified lines (600 VDC, except the Numata Line which was 550 VDC) providing freight as well as passenger services. As the ownership detail is complex, the final ownership is given here. The Tobu Railway lines were closed in 1935 and replaced by buses, but fuel shortages resulted in the lines being reopened in 1937. They were severely damaged by a bombing raid on the Shibukawa area in 1945, and returned to service by 1948:
- Tobu Railway Maebashi Line, situated to the east of the Jōestsu Line (once it was built), opened 1890 as a 15 km 762 mm (2'6") gauge line, electrified and converted to 1067 mm (3'6") gauge in 1910, closed 1954.
- Tobu Railway Takasaki Line, situated to the west of the Jōestsu Line (once it was built), opened 1893 as a 21 km 576 mm (~1'11") gauge line, electrified and converted to 1067 mm gauge in 1910, closed 1953.
- Tobu Railway Ikaho Line, opened 1910 as a 13 km 1067 mm gauge electrified line climbing 697 m at an average grade of 4.2% and a maximum grade of 5.7%, and requiring four switchbacks. The line closed in 1956.
- Tokyo Electric Co. Numata Line (later Nakanojō Line), opened 1912 as a 21 km 762 mm gauge line, electrified in 1918. In 1925, following the opening of the adjacent Jōetsu line, the 18 km section beyond Koisawa was closed and an 18 km line to Nakanojō opened. The entire line closed in 1934.
Surrounding area
- Shibukawa Shopping Plaza
- Shibukawa Post Office
- Japan National Route 17
See also
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shibukawa Station. |
- Station information (JR East) (in Japanese)
Coordinates: 36°29′29″N 139°00′33″E / 36.4914°N 139.0091°E