Doai Station

Doai Station (土合駅, Doai-eki) is a railway station on the Joetsu Line in Minakami, Gunma, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

Doai Station 土合駅
Doai Station entrance in April 2016
Location	218-2 Yubiso, Minakami-machi, Tone-gun, Gunma-ken Japan
Operated by	JR East
Line(s)	■ Joetsu Line
Distance	69.3 km from Takasaki
Platforms	2 side platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Depth	70 m
Platform levels	2
History
Opened	19 December 1936
Traffic
Passengers (FY2011)	22 daily
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station Yubiso toward Takasaki Jōetsu Line Tsuchitaru toward Nagaoka
Location
Doai Station Location within Japan

Lines

Doai Station is served by the Joetsu Line, and lies 69.3 km (43.1 mi) from the starting point of the line at Takasaki.

Station layout

Doai Station is unusual in that it has two single side platforms, one of which is elevated, and the other is located underground within the Shin-Shimizu Tunnel. The station is unattended. The underground platform for the northbound trains (to Echigo-Yuzawa and Nagaoka) is located 70 metres (230 ft) underground, in the middle of the 13,490-metre (44,260 ft) long Shin-Shimizu Tunnel. It is only reachable by stairs, as there are no elevators or escalators.[1] It takes 10 minutes to walk the 486 steps from the ticket gate to the platform. The above-ground platform for the southbound trains (to Minakami) is at ground level.

Platforms

1 (underground)	■ Joetsu Line	for Echigo-Yuzawa, Urasa, Nagaoka, and Niigata
2 (aboveground)	■ Joetsu Line	for Minakami, Takasaki, and Ueno

• 
  The underground platform
• 
  The bottom of the steps at the underground platform
• 
  The ground-level platform

History

The station opened on 19 December 1936.[2] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR East.[2]

In popular media

The climb up the steps from the underground platform features at the start of the novel, NHK dramatization and movie versions of Climber's High by Hideo Yokoyama.

Surrounding area

• Mount Tanigawa (one of the "100 famous mountains in Japan")
• National Route 291

See also

• List of railway stations in Japan

References

1. "Doai Station: Journey to Japan's Deepest Station". Ridgeline Images. 31 July 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
2. Ishino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR] (in Japanese). II. Japan: JTB. p. 452. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.

External links

• Station information (JR East) (in Japanese)