Jump to content

Karuizawa Station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Karuizawa Station

軽井沢駅
North side of Karuizawa Station, July 2016
Japanese name
Shinjitai軽井沢駅
Kyūjitai輕井澤驛
Hiraganaかるいざわえき
General information
LocationKaruizawa, Karuizawa Town, Kitasaku District, Nagano Prefecture 389-0102
Japan
Coordinates36°20′33.18″N 138°38′6.22″E / 36.3425500°N 138.6350611°E / 36.3425500; 138.6350611
Elevation941 m (3,087 ft)[1]
Operated by
Line(s)
Platforms3 island platforms
Tracks6
ConnectionsBus interchange Bus stop
Other information
StatusStaffed (Midori no Madoguchi )
History
Opened1 December 1888; 135 years ago (1 December 1888)
Passengers
FY20152,889 daily (JR East)
Services
Preceding station Logo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East Following station
Sakudaira Hokuriku Shinkansen
Takasaki
towards Tokyo
Sakudaira
towards Nagano
Hokuriku Shinkansen
Annaka-Haruna
towards Tokyo
Preceding station Shinano Railway Following station
Naka-Karuizawa
towards Nagano
Shinano Railway Line
Rapid
Local
Terminus
Former services
Preceding station Logo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East Following station
Naka-Karuizawa
towards Niigata
Shin'etsu Main Line Yokokawa
towards Takasaki
Location
Karuizawa Station is located in Nagano Prefecture
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station
Location within Nagano Prefecture
Karuizawa Station is located in Central Japan
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station (Central Japan)
Karuizawa Station is located in Japan
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station (Japan)
Shinkansen gate (from inside)
View from Shinkansen platform of Karuizawa Station
Shinano Railway Line platform, July 2016

Karuizawa Station (軽井沢駅, Karuizawa-eki) is a railway station in the town of Karuizawa, Nagano, Japan, operated jointly by the JR Group company East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the third-sector railway operator Shinano Railway.

Lines

[edit]

Karuizawa Station is served by the JR East Hokuriku Shinkansen high-speed line from Tokyo to Kanazawa via Nagano. On the Shinkansen line, it is located 146.8 kilometers from Tokyo Station. It is also a terminal station for the 65.1 kilometer Shinano Railway Line which operates between Karuizawa and Nagano.

Station layout

[edit]

The JR portion of the station has two elevated island platforms, serving four tracks, with the station building underneath. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office.[2] The Shinano Railway portion of the station has one ground-level island platform serving two tracks, connected to the JR East portion of the station by a footbridge.

JR East platforms

[edit]
1/2  Hokuriku Shinkansen for Takasaki, Ōmiya, and Tokyo
3/4  Hokuriku Shinkansen for Nagano, Toyama, and Kanazawa

Shinano Railway platforms

[edit]
1/2  Shinano Railway Line for Komoro, Ueda, Shinonoi, and Nagano

History

[edit]
Preserved old station building

The station began service on December 1, 1888, as the terminal of the Japanese Government Railways between Naoetsu (near the Sea of Japan coast) and Karuizawa. The line was extended from Karuizawa to Yokokawa through the Usui Pass on April 1, 1893, completing the trunk line between Takasaki (connecting to a Nippon Railway line to Ueno Station in Tokyo) and Naoetsu, which was later named the Shinetsu Main Line. At Karuizawa, all trains were coupled with or separated from helper locomotives that were required for all trains to go through the Usui Pass section.

When the Japanese National Railways (JNR) were divided and privatized on April 1, 1987, Shinetsu Main Line became a part of the system of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). On October 1, 1997, JR East opened the Nagano Shinkansen with a stop at Karuizawa. At the same time, JR East ceased to operate the conventional Shinetsu Main Line between Yokokawa and Shinonoi, of which, the section between Yokokawa and Karuizawa (Usui Pass) was closed permanently and the remaining section was transferred to Shinano Railway. Since then, Karuizawa Station has been shared by JR East and Shinano Railway.

Passenger statistics

[edit]

In fiscal 2015, the JR East portion of the station was used by an average of 2,889 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[3]

Surrounding area

[edit]
  • Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza
  • Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort

Hotels

[edit]
  • Karuizawa Prince Hotel
  • Mampei Hotel
  • Mikasa Hotel

Bus routes

[edit]
Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4
  • Community bus
    • Around Karuizawa Town
Track 5
North Exit
[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ JR East
  2. ^ 各駅情報(軽井沢駅) [Station Information (Karuizawa Station)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
  3. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2015年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2015)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
[edit]

Media related to Karuizawa Station at Wikimedia Commons