is a passenger

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

located in the city of

Himeji 260px, Himeji City Hall is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 525,682 in 227,099 households and a population density of 980 persons per km². The total area of the city is ...

, Japan, operated by

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...

(JR West). Himeji is a major stop on the San'yō Main Line and the

Sanyō Shinkansen , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded b ...

, and the western end of the

JR Kobe Line The is the nickname of portions of the Tokaido Main Line and the Sanyo Main Line, between Osaka Station in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture and Himeji Station in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture. The line, along with the JR Kyoto Line and the Biwako Line, ...

. The station building is located close to the

Sanyo Electric Railway is a Japanese private railway operating company based in western Hyōgo Prefecture. It runs local and express rail service between Himeji and Kobe, and also connects directly with Hanshin Main Line to Osaka. Although the Hanshin Electric R ...

Himeji Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Himeji, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Himeji is a major stop on the San'yō Main Line and the Sanyō Shinkansen, and the western end of the JR Kobe Line. The stati ...

and

Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in the city of Himeji which is located in the Hyōgo Prefecture of Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network o ...

Lines

Himeji Station is served by the JR San'yō Main Line, and is located 54.8 kilometers from the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the line at and 87.9 kilometers from . On the Shinkansen network it is 91.7 kilometers from Shin-Osaka and 644.3 kilometers from . The 65.7 kilometer

Bantan Line The is a railway line that connects Himeji and Wadayama station in Asago City, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The line is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and serves as a connector between the Sanyo Main Line and the Sanin Main ...

to and the 158.1 kilometer Kishin Line to terminate at Himeji Station.

Station layout

The station has a complex layout of elevated platforms. The conventional trains operate from four

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

s, the first two of which have one dead-headed track each. The Shinkansen portion of the station has one

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

and one

with two passing trains between.

Platforms

Adjacent stations

History

Himeji Station was opened by

Sanyo Railway , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded by ...

, the present-day San'yō Main Line, in 1888. At the time, railway stations were usually built either outside or alongside urban areas, but Himeji Station was built bordering the old city walls, at the end of the main street (Ootemae-dori). The current Sanyo Railway Station is actually constructed on top of part of the old city wall. It is thought that the reason was that the army was based in Himeji Castle. This proximity to the city helped to contribute to urban development. Himeji Station was linked to , the present day Bantan Line, in 1894. Kishin Line was linked to the station in 1930. The station was expanded with the opening of the Sanyo Shinkansen in 1972. The preparation for elevation of the conventional lines has been undertaken since 1989, and begun in earnest in 1994 after the relocation of Himeji's freight terminal and train yards. On March 26, 2006, platforms for the JR Kobe Line and Sanyo Main Line switched to the elevated railway, while the remainder of the platforms, for the Bantan and Kishin Lines, were elevated beginning on December 22, 2008.

Timeline

* December 23, 1888: The

segment between Akashi Station and Himeji Station opens. * July 26, 1894: The Bantan Railway segment between Himeji Station and Teramae Station opens. * June 1, 1903: Sanyo Railway purchases Bantan Railway. * December 1, 1906: Sanyo Railway is nationalized. * September 1, 1930: Kishin Line is connected. * March 15, 1972: The Sanyo Shinkansen segment between

Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is . The city is ...

and Shin-Osaka opens. * April 1, 1987: Japanese National Railways is divided and privatized. The line is taken over by the West Japan Railway Company. * January 17, 1995: There was a blockage of the segment of the Sanyō Shinkansen between Shin-Osaka and Himeji, caused by the

Great Hanshin earthquake The , or Kobe earthquake, occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46:53 JST (January 16 at 20:46:53 UTC) in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, including the region known as Hanshin. It measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale and had ...

. * April 8, 1995: The blocked section reopens. * October 1, 2003: '' Nozomi'' service is added to the schedule. * March 15, 2014: ''

Mizuho Mizuho () literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. It was also an ancient name of Japan. It might refer to: Places * Mizuho, Gifu, a city in Gifu * Mizuho, Tokyo, a town in Tokyo * Mizuho Plateau in A ...

'' service is added to the schedule.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 51,763 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).

References

External links

JR West Station Official Site
{{Navboxes, list1= {{Sanyo Shinkansen {{Kōbe Line {{San'yō Main Line (Okayama segment) {{Bantan Line {{Akō Line {{JR Kishin Line Railway stations in Japan opened in 1888 JR Kobe Line Railway stations in Himeji Sanyō Main Line Sanyō Shinkansen