Kokubu Station (Kagoshima)

Kokubu Station (国分駅, Kokubu-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Kirishima, Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nippō Main Line.[1][2]

Kokubu Station

国分駅
Kyushu Railway Company
Kokubu Station in 2010
General information
Location3-chōme-46 Kokubuchūō, Kirishima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 899-4332
Japan
Coordinates31°44′37″N 130°45′48″E / 31.7436°N 130.7634°E / 31.7436; 130.7634
Operated by JR Kyushu
Line(s) Nippō Main Line
Distance432.1 km from Kokura
Platforms1 side + 1 island platforms
Tracks3 + 2 sidings
Construction
Structure typeAt grade
ParkingAvailable
Bicycle facilitiesBike shed
Other information
StatusStaffed ticket window (Midori no Madoguchi) (outsourced)
WebsiteOfficial website
History
Opened24 November 1929 (1929-11-24)
Passengers
FY20222451
Rank65th
Services
Preceding station Logo of the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). JR Kyushu Following station
Hayato
towards Kagoshima
Nippō Main Line Kirishima-Jingū
towards Kokura
Location
Kokubu Station is located in Kagoshima Prefecture
Kokubu Station
Kokubu Station
Location within Kagoshima Prefecture
Kokubu Station is located in Japan
Kokubu Station
Kokubu Station
Kokubu Station (Japan)
Map

Lines

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The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 432.1 km from the starting point of the line at Kokura.[3]

Layout

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The station consists of a side platform and an island platform serving three tracks at grade. Two sidings branch off track 3 with one ending in a vehicle shed. The station building, located on the east side of the tracks, is a modern concrete structure that houses a waiting area, an automatic ticket vending machine and staffed ticket window. Bike sheds and parking are available at the station forecourt. Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge. Separate from this, another bridge, served by elevators and known as the Kokubu Station East-West Free Passage allows pedestrians to access the streets on both sides of the tracks. Parking is also available at the station forecourt on the west side of tracks.[3][2][4]

Management of the passenger facilities at the station has been outsourced to the JR Kyushu Tetsudou Eigyou Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of JR Kyushu specialising in station services. It staffs the ticket booth which is equipped with a Midori no Madoguchi facility.[5][6]

Platforms

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1, 2   Nippō Main Line for Hayato and Kagoshima-Chūō
for Miyakonojō and Miyazaki
3   Nippō Main Line for Hayato and Kagoshima-Chūō

History

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The station was opened on 24 November 1929 by Japanese Government Railways (JGR) as the eastern terminus of the then Kokuto-West Line (国都西線) which it had laid from Nishi-Kokubu (now Hayato). It became a through-station on 10 July 1930 when the track was extended further east to Kirishima-Jingū. Subsequently. the Kokuto-West Line was expanded to the east and north, linking up with the Kokuto-East Line at Ōsumi-Ōkawara and other networks so that by the end of 1932, through-traffic had been established between Kokura and Kagoshima. On 6 December 1932, the entire stretch of track from Kokura through Kokubu to Kagoshima was redesignated as the Nippō Main Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Kyushu.[7][8][9]

Passenger statistics

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In fiscal 2022, the station was used by an average of 2451 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 65th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.[10]

Surrounding area

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  • Kokubu-Chūō High School
  • Kirishima City Hall
  • Kokubu Onsen

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "国分" [Kokubu]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. ^ a b Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第7巻 宮崎・鹿児島・沖縄エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 7 Miyazaki Kagoshima Okinawa Area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 62, 92. ISBN 9784062951661.
  4. ^ "国分駅 [日豊本線]" [Kokubu Station (Nippō Main Line)]. 24 January 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2018. Blog entry with good photographic coverage of station facilities.
  5. ^ "鹿児島支店内各駅" [Stations within the Kagoshima Branch]. JRTE website. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  6. ^ "国分駅" [Kokubu Station]. jr-mars.dyndns.org. Retrieved 15 June 2018. See images of tickets sold.
  7. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 229. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  8. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 761. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  9. ^ Imao, Keisuke (2009). 日本鉄道旅行地図帳 12号 九州 沖縄―全線・全駅・全廃線 [Japan Rail Travel Atlas No. 12 Kyushu Okinawa - all lines, all stations and disused lines] (in Japanese). Mook. p. 49. ISBN 9784107900302.
  10. ^ "駅別乗車人員上位300駅(2022年度)" [Passengers embarking by station - Top 300 stations (Fiscal 2022)] (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
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