Karuizawa Station

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.

Karuizawa Station

軽井沢駅
North side of Karuizawa Station
LocationKaruizawa, Karuizawa-machi, Kitasaku-gun, Nagano-ken 389-0102
Japan
Coordinates36°20′33.18″N 138°38′6.22″E
Elevation941 meters[1]
Operated by
Line(s)
Platforms3 island platforms
ConnectionsBus stop
Other information
StatusStaffed (Midori no Madoguchi )
History
Opened1 December 1888
Passengers
FY20152,889 daily (JR East)
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station
Sakudaira
(limited service)
toward Kanazawa
 Hokuriku Shinkansen
(limited service)
 Annaka-Haruna
(limited service)
toward Tokyo
Sakudaira
toward Nagano
 Hokuriku Shinkansen Takasaki
toward Tokyo
Preceding station Shinano Railway Following station
Naka-Karuizawa
toward Nagano
 Shinano Railway Line
Rapid
Local
 Terminus
Former services
Preceding station JR East Following station
Naka-Karuizawa
toward Niigata
 Shin'etsu Main Line Yokokawa
toward Takasaki
Location
Karuizawa Station
Location within Nagano Prefecture
Karuizawa Station
Karuizawa Station (Japan)
Shinkansen gate (from inside)
Shinano Railway Line platform, July 2016

Lines

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

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

Shinano Railway platforms
1/2 ■ Shinano Railway Line for Komoro, Ueda, Shinonoi, and Nagano

History
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

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
  • Karuizawa Prince Shopping Plaza
  • Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort

Hotels
  • Karuizawa Prince Hotel
  • Mampei Hotel
  • Mikasa Hotel

See also

References
  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.

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