Fukushima Station (Fukushima)

Fukushima Station

福島駅
The west side of Fukushima Station
General information
Location1-1 Sakaemachi
Fukushima
Japan
Coordinates37°45′15″N 140°27′34″E / 37.75426°N 140.459476°E / 37.75426; 140.459476
Owned by JR East
Lines
Platforms5 island platforms, 1 side platform, 1 bay platform
Train operators
Other information
StatusStaffed (Midori no Madoguchi)
WebsiteOfficial website
History
OpenedDecember 15, 1887 (1887-12-15)
Passengers
FY202314,292 (JR) daily
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station
Kōriyama
towards Tokyo
Tōhoku Shinkansen Shiroishi-Zaō
towards Morioka
Yamagata Shinkansen Yonezawa
towards Shinjō
Terminus Tōhoku Main Line
Rapid City Rabbit
Higashi-Fukushima
towards Sendai
Minami-Fukushima
towards Kuroiso
Tōhoku Main Line
Local
Higashi-Fukushima
towards Morioka
Terminus Yamagata Line Sasakino
towards Shinjō
Preceding station Abukuma Express Following station
Terminus Abukuma Express Line Oroshimachi
toward Tsukinoki
Preceding station Fukushima Transportation Following station
Terminus Iizaka Line Soneda
towards Iizaka Onsen
Location
Fukushima Station
Location within Fukushima Prefecture
Fukushima Station
Fukushima Station (Japan)

Fukushima Station (Japanese: 福島駅, Hepburn: Fukushima-eki) is a railway station in the city of Fukushima in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The station is located on JR East's Tōhoku Shinkansen and Tōhoku Main Line and is the terminus of the company's Yamagata Shinkansen and Yamagata Line. It also serves as the terminus of the third-sector Abukuma Express Line and privately operated Fukushima Kōtsū Iizaka Line.

Lines

Station layout

The station is separated into an east and a west section. After entering the ticket gates, the opposite sections of the station are accessible via a pedestrian tunnel that runs over the tracks. Outside of the ticketed area, pedestrians must use a tunnel to access the opposite section. Cyclists and other vehicles must utilize the bridges to either the north or south of the station.

All lines, except for the Abukuma Express Line and the Iizaka Line, are accessible through the main entrance of the East or West sections of the station. The Abukuma Express Line and the Iizaka Line have a separate entrance on the Northeast side of the station.

The JR portion of the station uses one side platform, one island platform and one bay platform to serve a total of six tracks for regular trains, and two elevated island platforms for Shinkansen operations. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office. The Abukuma Express Line and the Fukushima Kōtsū Iizaka Line share a single island platform.

Platform No Line Name Direction
JR East Platforms
1-4 Tohoku Main Line for Nihonmatsu and Koriyama
for Shiroishi and Sendai
5/6 Yamagata Line
(Ōu Main Line)
for Yamagata and Shinjō
11 Tohoku Shinkansen (Extra Platform)
12 for Utsunomiya, Omiya and Tokyo
13 for Sendai and Morioka
14 for Sendai and Morioka
Yamagata Shinkansen
(Ōu Main Line)
for Yamagata and Shinjo
Tohoku Shinkansen for Utsunomiya, Omiya and Tokyo
Abukuma Express/Iizaka Line Platform
Abukuma Express Line for Yanagawa, Marumori and Tsukinoki
Iizaka Line for Iizaka Onsen

History

Nippon Railway opened Fukushima Station and the railway between Kōriyama Station and Shiogama Station (later called Shiogamakō Station) on December 15, 1887.[1] This railway was later nationalized and named the Tōhoku Main Line. The government railways opened the railway, later named the Ōu Main Line, between Fukushima Station and Yonezawa Station on May 15, 1899.[2] The Iizaka Line was opened on April 13, 1924 by Fukushima Iizaka Electric Tramway (福島飯坂電気軌道, Fukushima Iizaka Denki Kidō).[3] The Tōhoku Shinkansen opened on June 23, 1982 and the Abukuma Express Line opened on July 1, 1988.[4]

Through services between the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line, under the name Yamagata Shinkansen, began on July 1, 1992.[5]

JR East announced in March 2020 that it would build a new approach line for the Yamagata Shinkansen at Fukushima Station to resolve a bottleneck on the Tōhoku Shinkansen. Southbound Yamabiko services bound for Tokyo, which couple with Tsubasa services, were required to cross the northbound main line twice to access Platform 14, the only platform connected to the Yamagata Shinkansen. The project will construct a second connecting track with approximately 760 metres (2,490 ft) of surface track and 540 metres (1,770 ft) of elevated viaduct, branching from the Ōu Main Line, passing beneath the elevated Shinkansen, and connecting directly to the southbound track at Platform 11. The project eliminates at-grade crossings that can delay northbound non-stop Hayabusa services and enables simultaneous arrivals and departures, improving operational flexibility and timetable recovery. Completion is scheduled for 2026.[6][7][8]

Bus terminals

Highway buses

Passenger statistics

In fiscal year 2016, the station was used by an average of 16,536 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[12] In fiscal year 2023, the average number of passengers decreased to 14,292 daily.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ 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. 402. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  2. ^ Ishino 1998, p. 527.
  3. ^ 飯坂電車の歴史 (in Japanese). Fukushima Transportation. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  4. ^ Ishino 1998, pp. 424, 472.
  5. ^ "JR東日本7月1日ダイヤ改正". Japan Railfan Magazine (377, September 1992).
  6. ^ "JR East Announced New E8 Shinkansen Trains". Railvolution. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). May 24, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  8. ^ Kamishin, Daisuke (March 3, 2020). "JR東日本、山形新幹線の福島駅アプローチ線新設工事" [JR East begins construction of a new approach line for the Yamagata Shinkansen at Fukushima Station]. news.mynavi.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i 福島交通 - 高速バス 福島. www.fukushima-koutu.co.jp (in Japanese). Fukushima Kotsu. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  10. ^ "福島・郡山-東京・横浜(ドリームふくしま・横浜号) 予約制 | 高速バス | JRバス東北【公式HP】|高速バス 仙台-新宿 3列シート車3000円~" (in Japanese). JR Bus Tohoku. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  11. ^ 山形~東京線 東北急行バス. www.tohoku-express.co.jp (in Japanese). Tohoku Kyuko Bus. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  12. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2016年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2016)] (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. 2017. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  13. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 2023年度 (in Japanese). East Japan Railway Company. 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2024.