Nishikata Station (西方駅, Nishikata-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the city of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by third-sector railway company Hisatsu Orange Railway.[3][4]

Nishikata Station

  • 西方駅
  • にしかた
Small station building and overpass in 2008
Nishikata station building and footbridge in 2008
General information
LocationNishikatacho, Satsumasendai-shi, Kagoshima-ken 899-1801
Japan
Coordinates31°54′59″N 130°13′25″E / 31.9164°N 130.22375°E / 31.9164; 130.22375[1]
Operated byHisatsu Orange Railway Co., Ltd.
Line(s) Hisatsu Orange Railway Line
Distance
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks1
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
Other information
Station codeOR24
WebsiteOfficial website (in Japanese)
History
Opened1 July 1922 (1922-07-01)
Original companyJapanese Government Railways
Passengers
FY201923
Location
Nishikata Station is located in Kagoshima Prefecture
Nishikata Station
Nishikata Station
Location within Kagoshima Prefecture
Nishikata Station is located in Japan
Nishikata Station
Nishikata Station
Nishikata Station (Japan)
Map

Lines

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The station is served by the Hisatsu Orange Railway Line that follows the former coastal route of the JR Kyushu Kagoshima Main Line connecting Yatsushiro and Sendai.[5] It is located 99.6 km from the starting point of the line at Yatsushiro.[3]

Station layout

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The station consists of two side platforms and two tracks. It is unattended station. A maintenance siding is provided on the upper side. During the former JNR era, it was a staffed station with two platforms and three tracks, with a large white concrete station building, a freight siding and freight platform, and JNR official housing on both sides of the station building. During its peak in the 1970s, it was very busy, especially during summer vacation and long weekends, with beachgoers at the nearby Nishikata Beach, tourists at Kawauchi Takagi Onsen. Express trains made special stops, and several special trains were scheduled to stop at the station from the direction of Nishi-Kagoshima Station. In 1983, the station was unattended and the government housing was removed, reducing the size of the station premises. In 1988, the station building was demolished and a simple waiting room was installed. Around 2000, the center track was discontinued, leaving the station with two tracks and two platforms, which is the case today. After the center track was discontinued, the signals, overhead wires, and the points rail that crossed the main line were removed, and it was left abandoned for many years, but when it was transferred to the Hisatsu Orange Railway in March 2004, the tracks were completely removed.

Platforms

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1   Hisatsu Orange Railway for Izumi, Minamata, and Yatsushiro
2  Hisatsu Orange Railway for Sendai

Adjacent stations

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« Service »
Hisatsu Orange Railway Line
Satsuma Ohkawa Satsuma Taki
Rapid Express Ocean Liner Satsuma: Does not stop at this station

History

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Nishikata Station was opened on 1 July 1922 as a station on the Japanese Government Railways Sendai Line, which was incorporated into the Kagoshima Main Line on 17 October 1927. With the privatization of the Japan National Railways on 1 April 1987, the station was transferred to JR Kyushu. On 13 March 2004, with the opening of the Kyushu Shinkansen, the station was transferred to the Hisatsu Orange Railway.

Passenger statistics

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The average daily passenger traffic in fiscal 2019 was 23 people. [6]

Surrounding area

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nishikata-eki, via GeoNames". OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  2. ^ "西方駅". [レイルラボ | RailLab] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-11-25.
  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.
  4. ^ "西方駅" [Nishikata Station]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  5. ^ "肥後高田駅". 駅探 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2017-11-14.
  6. ^ National Land Numerical Information (passenger traffic by station data) - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, accessed September 6, 2021.
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