Kagoshima-Chūō Station

Kagoshima-Chūō Station (鹿児島中央駅, Kagoshima-Chūō-eki, Kagoshima Central Station) is a major railway station in the city of Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It is also the southernmost high-speed Shinkansen railway terminal in Japan.^[1][2]

Kagoshima-Chūō Station 鹿児島中央駅
Kagoshima-Chūō Station in October 2020
General information
Location	1-1 Chūō-chō, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken Japan
Coordinates	31°35′01″N 130°32′30″E
Operated by	JR Kyushu Kagoshima City Transportation Bureau
Line(s)	Kyūshū Shinkansen      Kagoshima Main Line      Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
Platforms	5 island platforms
Connections	Bus terminal
Other information
Website	Official website
History
Opened	11 October 1913 (1913-10-11)
Previous names	Take (until 1927); Nishi-Kagoshima (until 2004)
Passengers
FY2022	14,013 daily
Rank	3rd (among JR Kyushu stations)
Services
Preceding station JR Kyushu Following station Terminus Kyūshū Shinkansen Mizuho Sakura Tsubame Sendai towards Hakata Kagoshima Terminus Kagoshima Main Line Ijūin towards Mojikō Terminus Kagoshima Main Line Ocean Liner Satsuma Hiroki towards Mojikō Ibusuki Makurazaki Line Kōrimoto towards Makurazaki
Location Kagoshima-Chūō Station Location within Kagoshima Prefecture Show map of Kagoshima Prefecture Kagoshima-Chūō Station Kagoshima-Chūō Station (Kyushu) Show map of Kyushu Kagoshima-Chūō Station Kagoshima-Chūō Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Lines

The station is the southern terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen and is located 288.9 km from Hakata and 1463.8 km from Tokyo. It is also served by the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nippo Main Line and is 395.3 km from Mojiko. It is also the northern terminus of the 87.8 kilometer Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line.^[1]

Layout

The conventional portion of the station consists of three ground-level island platforms and six tracks laid in a roughly north-south direction, while the Shinkansen portion of the station is elevated (three stories) with two island platforms and four tracks laid in a right-angle. The Shinkansen platform can accommodate trains of up to eight cars in length (can be extended to ten cars), and has a movable platform safety fence. The station building is located on the second floor, halfway between the conventional line platform and the Shinkansen platform, and the exits are connected by a concourse. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office.

Platforms

1	■ Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line	for Goino, Ibusuki, and Yamakawa
2-4	■ Kagoshima Main Line	for Ijūin, Kushikino, and Sendai
	■ Nippō Main Line	for Kagoshima, Hayato, and Miyazaki
	■ Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line	for Goino, Ibusuki, and Yamakawa
5/6	■ Kagoshima Main Line	for Ijūin, Kushikino, and Sendai
	■ Nippō Main Line	for Kagoshima, Hayato, and Miyazaki
11-14	Kyushu Shinkansen	for Kumamoto, Hakata, and Shin-Osaka

History

Kagoshima-Chūō initially opened on October 11, 1913 as Take Station (武駅, Take-eki) on the Sendai Line.^[3][4] On December 17, 1915, the adjacent Take Ekimae tram stop (武駅前停留所) opened.^[5]

Take Station changed its name to Nishi-Kagoshima Station (西鹿児島駅) on October 17, 1927,^[3] with the Take Ekimae tram stop being renamed Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop (西鹿児島駅前停留所) on August 7, 1928.^[5]

On March 13, 2004, Nishi-Kagoshima Station was renamed Kagoshima-Chūō Station (鹿児島中央駅),^[3] and Kyushu Shinkansen services began between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chūō. The Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop was renamed the Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae tram stop (鹿児島中央駅前停留所).^[5]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2020, the station was used by an average of 14,013 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 3rd among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.^[6]

Surrounding areas

• Kagoshima-Chūō Ekimae tram stop
• Amu Plaza Kagoshima and Amuran Ferris wheel
• Kagoshima Central Post Office
• Museum of the Meiji Restoration
• Naples Avenue (ナポリ通り, Napori-dōri)
• Kagoshima Prefectural Konan High School
• Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School

Trains

Limited Express trains

• Kirishima - Nippō Main Line
• Ibusuki no Tamatebako - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

Liner and Rapid trains

• Nanohana - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
• Ocean Liner Satsuma - Kagoshima Main Line

Ekiben

• Tonkatsu bento, a bento with tonkatsu available as ekiben, is a local specialty consisting of Kagoshima pork ribs simmered in shōchū, miso, and black sugar for over five hours.

Kagoshima-Chūō Ekimae tram stop

See also

• Japan portal
• Trains portal
• Transport portal

• List of railway stations in Japan

References

1. 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5巻 長崎 佐賀 エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 5 Nagasaki Saga area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 22, 67. ISBN 9784062951647.
2. "鹿児島中央駅" [Kagoshima-Chūō Station]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
3. 『日本鉄道旅行地図帳 12 九州』 p.51 Shinchosha
4. JR九州新幹線、鹿児島線、指宿枕崎線、鹿児島中央駅（九州の駅ゆったり紀行） Archived 2013-02-18 at archive.today(in Japanese) - Nishinihon Shinbun
5. 『日本鉄道旅行地図帳 12 九州』 p.52 Shinchosha
6. "駅別乗車人員上位300駅（2020年度）" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-09-08.

External links

Media related to Kagoshima-Chūō Station at Wikimedia Commons

• JR Kyushu timetable for Kagoshima-Chūō Station (in Japanese)