Motomachi Station (Hyōgo)

Motomachi Station (元町駅, Motomachi-eki) is a railway station in Motomachi, Chūō-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.^[3][4]

Motomachi Station 元町駅
Facade of the station
General information
Location	1-100, Motomachi Kōka-Dōri (JR) 10-2, Motomachi-Dōri 2-chōme (Hanshin) Chūō, Kobe, Hyōgo （神戸市中央区元町高架通1-100 (JR) 神戸市中央区元町通二丁目10-2 (阪神)） Japan
Coordinates	34°41′23″N 135°11′15″E
Operated by	JR West Hanshin Electric Railway
Line(s)	JR Kōbe Line (Tōkaidō Main Line) Main Line Kōbe Kōsoku Line
Connections	Bus stop
Construction
Structure type	Elevated (JR West) Underground (Hanshin)
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	JR-A62  (JR West) HS 33 (Hanshin)
History
Opened	1905
Passengers
FY 2023	62,708 daily (JR West)[1] 27,100 daily (Hanshin)[2]
Services West Japan Railway Company (JR West) Tōkaidō Line (JR Kōbe Line) (A-62) Sannomiya (JR-A61)   Local   Kōbe (JR-A63) Sannomiya (JR-A61)   Rapid Service   Kōbe (JR-A63) Special Rapid Service: Does not stop at this station Hanshin Electric Railway Main Line, Kōbe Kōsoku Line (HS 33) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Hanshin Local   Nishi-Motomachi (HS 34, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Sanyo Local   Nishi-Motomachi (HS 34, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Rapid Express (3 eastbound trains only, on weekends and holidays)   Nishi-Motomachi (HS 34, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Hanshin Limited Express   Nishi-Motomachi (HS 34, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Through Limited Express (yellow marking)   Nishi-Motomachi (HS 34, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Sanyo S Limited Express   Kōsoku Kōbe (HS 35, Kōbe Kōsoku Line) Kobe-Sannomiya (HS 32, Main Line)   Through Limited Express (red marking)   Kosoku Kobe (HS 35, Kōbe Kōsoku Line)
Location

It is one of the main stations serving the central business district of Kobe. The station is the closest access point to the Motomachi shopping district and to Nanking Town, one of Japan's three largest Chinatown districts.

Lines

• JR West JR Kōbe Line (Tōkaidō Main Line)
• Hanshin Electric Railway Main Line, Kōbe Kōsoku Line

The JR and Hanshin platforms are separated and no interchange is possible without completely leaving one building and entering another; therefore there are technically two separate Motomachi stations, although they are often treated as one.

The JR station is served by local and rapid trains.

The Hanshin station is the western terminus of the Main Line, although service continues west on the Kobe Rapid Railway.

JR West

Overview

There are 2 elevated island platforms serving 2 tracks each.

1	■ JR Kobe Line	rapid service for Nishi-Akashi and Himeji in the morning and the evening on weekdays
2	■ JR Kobe Line	local trains and rapid service for Nishi-Akashi and Himeji
3	■ JR Kobe Line	local trains and rapid service for Sannomiya, Amagasaki and Osaka local trains for Kitashinchi (JR Tozai Line)
4	■ JR Kobe Line	rapid service for Sannomiya, Amagasaki and Osaka in the morning

Motomachi Station (JR West) layout
Legend
↑Sannomiya 4 3 2 1 ↓Kobe

Hanshin Railway

Overview

There is an underground island platform serving 2 tracks.

1	■ ■Main Line	for Koshien, Amagasaki, Osaka-Umeda, Osaka Namba and Nara
2	■ ■Kōbe Kōsoku Line	for Kosoku Kobe, Suma, Akashi, and Himeji

Motomachi Station (Hanshin) layout
Legend
↑Sannomiya 1 2 ↓Nishi-Motomachi

Gallery

• 
  JR platforms at Motomachi; a freight train passes by in the background
• 
  The Hanshin Line platforms are underground

History

Station numbering was introduced to the JR platforms in March 2018 with Motomachi being assigned station number JR-A62.^[5][6]

Surroundings

• Kyūkyoryūchi-Daimarumae Station
• Kenchōmae Station on the Seishin-Yamate Line