Tosu Station

Tosu Station (鳥栖駅, Tosu-eki) is a railway station in Tosu, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is the junction between the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nagasaki Main Line.[1]

JH  01  JB  15  Tosu Station 鳥栖駅
Location	Tosu, Saga Japan
Coordinates	33°22′25″N 130°31′9″E
Operated by	JR Kyushu
Line(s)	■ Kagoshima Main Line ■ Nagasaki Main Line
Distance	106.8 km from Mojikō (Kagoshima Main Line) 0.0 km (starting point of the Nagasaki Main Line)
Platforms	3 island platforms
Tracks	6 + 6 passing loops
Connections	Bus stop
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Parking	Available
Disabled access	Yes - underpass to platforms served by elevators
Other information
Status	Staffed ticket window (Midori no Madoguchi)
Website	Official website
History
Opened	11 December 1889 (1889-12-11)
Rebuilt	1903
Traffic
Passengers (FY2016)	7,039 daily
Rank	25th (among JR yushu stations)
Location
JH  01  JB  15  Tosu Station Location within Japan

Lines

The station is served by the Kagoshima Main Line and is located 106.8 km from the starting point of the line at Mojikō.[2]

In addition, the station is the starting point of the Nagasaki Main Line.[3]

Besides the local trains of these lines, trains of the following limited express services also stop at the station:[4]

• Ariake
• Huis Ten Bosch
• Kamome
• Midori
• Yufu/Yufu DX/Yufuinnomori

Station layout

The station consists of three island platforms serving six tracks at grade. Passing loops run between the island platforms and several more passing loops are located to the east, beyond platform 6.[2] Access to the island platforms is by two underground passageways connecting them with the station building. One of the underpasses is served by elevators. A footbridge known as the Rainbow Bridge spans the station plazas to the east and the west of the tracks and is also served by elevators.[5] The station building, is located on the west side of the tracks and houses shops, a waiting area a JR Kyushu ticket window (with Midori no Madoguchi facility) and a JR travel centre. Several udon/soba stands are located in the station, including one on each of the island platforms.[6][4][7] A JGR Class 230 steam locomotive (No.268) is on display on the east side of the station.

• 
  A view of the station entrance looking north. The structure with the pointed tower is the Rainbow Bridge.
• 
  A view of platforms 4 and 5. Note the passing loop in between. The bridge above is the Rainbow Bridge.
• 
  Stairs and elevator shaft to the underpass. The shelter columns are repurposed rails made in Germany and England from 1896 to 1897.[8]
• 
  An udon/soba stand on the platform.
• 
  A view of the east side of the station. Note the numerous passing loops and also the Rainbow Bridge and the steam locomotive on display.
• 
  A closer view of the steam locomotive: a JGR Class 230 (No. 268).
• 
  Tosu Station before the Second World War.

Platforms

1	■Limited express Ariake	for Hakata
	■Limited express Kamome, Midori, Huis Ten Bosch
	■Limited express Yufuin-no-mori
	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Futsukaichi, Hakata, Kokura, and Mojikō
2	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Futsukaichi, Hakata, Kokura, and Mojikō
	■Nagasaki Main Line	for Saga, Hizen-Yamaguchi, and Isahaya
	■Kyūdai Main Line	for Chikugo-Yoshii and Hita
3	■Limited express Kamome, Midori	for Hakata
	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Hakata and Kokura for Kurume and Ōmuta
	■Nagasaki Main Line	for Saga, Hizen-Yamaguchi, and Isahaya
4	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Hakata・Kokura／To Kurume・Ōmuta
	■Nagasaki Main Line	for Saga, Hizen-Yamaguchi, and Isahaya
5	■Limited express Kamome, Midori, Huis Ten Bosch	for Saga, Nagasaki, Sasebo, and Huis Ten Bosch
	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Kurume, Ōmuta, and Arao
	■Nagasaki Main Line	for Saga, Hizen-Yamaguchi, Isahaya, and Haiki
6	■Limited express Ariake	for Ōmuta and Kumamoto
	■Limited express Yufu, Yufu DX, Yufuinnomori	for Hita, Yufuin, and Ōita
	■Kagoshima Main Line	for Kurume, Ōmuta, and Arao

Adjacent stations

«		Service	»
Kagoshima Main Line
JB  08  Futsukaichi		Limited express Ariake	JB  17  Kurume
JB  12  Kiyama		Rapid	JB  17  Kurume
JB  14  Tashiro		Local	JB  16  Hizen-Asahi
Nagasaki Main Line
JB  08  Futsukaichi		Limited express Midori Kamome Huis Ten Bosch	JH  02  Shin-Tosu
Terminus		Local	JH  02  Shin-Tosu

History

The station was opened on 11 December 1889 by the privately run Kyushu Railway after the construction of a track between Hakata and the (now closed) Chitosegawa temporary stop with Tosu as one the several intermediate stations on the line. On 20 August 1891, a track was laid from Tosu to Saga. When the Kyushu Railway was nationalized on 1 July 1907, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) took over control of the station. On 12 October 1909, the station became part of the Hitoyoshi and Nagasaki Main Lines. On 21 November 1909, the Hitoyoshi Main Line was renamed the Kagoshima Main Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, JR Kyushu took over control of the station.[9][10]

The present station building was built in 1903. An extension in 1911 left the original Meiji era building structure intact. It is one of the oldest existing railway station buildings in Kyushu. Despite its historical value, the Saga City authorities decided, in May 2017, to build a new station building slightly to the south of the existing one. The new building will be a hashigami structure in which the station facilities would be located on a bridge spanning the tracks. The project would take about ten years to complete. The city authorities explained that a new building was necessary due to the limited space available in the present building but that it would consider measures to preserve and repurpose the historic structure.[11][12]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the station was used by 7,039 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 25th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.[13]

Surrounding area

• Tosu Stadium (home to J. League team Sagan Tosu)
• Tosu Premium Outlets (15 minutes by bus)
• Saga Racetrack (13 minutes by bus)

Bus routes

• Nishitetsu Bus Saga
  • To Tosu city center, Kurume Station (Nishitetsu), Kiyama, Metabara, Kanzaki
  • To Ogōri Station (Nishitetsu)
  • To Tosu Premium Outlets

References

1. "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
2. Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第4巻 福岡エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 4 Fukuoka Area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 30, 68. ISBN 9784062951630.
3. Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第4巻 福岡エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 4 Fukuoka Area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. p. 70. ISBN 9784062951630.
4. "鳥栖" [Tosu]. JR Kyushu Official Station Webpage. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
5. "Tosu Station Accessibility Information" (PDF). JR Kyushu Official Station Webpage. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
6. "鳥栖" [Tosu]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
7. "鳥栖駅のうどん" [Tosu Station's Udon]. www.tosucci.or.jp. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
8. JR Kyushu (2013). JR九州のひみつ [Secrets of JR Kyushu] (in Japanese). PHP Institute, Inc. p. 32. ISBN 9784569814933.
9. 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). I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. pp. 218, 222. ISBN 4533029809.
10. 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). II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. pp. 680, 712. ISBN 4533029809.
11. "鳥栖駅舎「現地保存を」　建築当時の姿に価値". Saga Shimbun Live. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
12. "鳥栖駅　新駅舎１０年後の完成目指す" [Tosu Station New Station Building Targeted for Completion in 10 Years]. Saga Shimbun Live. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
13. "駅別乗車人員上位300駅（平成28年度）" [Passengers embarking by station - Top 300 stations (Fiscal 2016)] (PDF). JR Kyushu. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2018.

External links

• Tosu (JR Kyushu)(in Japanese)