Kitagata Station (Saga)

Kitagata Station (北方駅, Kitagata-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the Kitagata neighborhood of the city of Takeo, Saga Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu.^[1][2]

Kitagata Station 北方駅
Kitagata Station in 2010
General information
Location	Kitagatacho Oaza Shiku, Takeo-shi, Saga-ken 849-2201 Japan
Coordinates	33°12′59″N 130°04′58″E
Operated by	JR Kyushu
Line(s)	■ Sasebo Line
Distance	7.4 km from Hizen-Yamaguchi
Platforms	1 side + 1 island platforms
Tracks	3 + 2 sidings
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Accessible	No – platforms accessed by footbridge
Other information
Status	Unstaffed
Website	Official website
History
Opened	5 May 1895 (1895-05-05)
Passengers
FY2015	100 daily
Services
Preceding station JR Kyushu Following station Takahashi towards Sasebo Sasebo Line Ōmachi towards Tosu
Location Kitagata Station Location within Saga Prefecture Show map of Saga Prefecture Kitagata Station Kitagata Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Lines

The station is served by the Sasebo Line and is located 7.4 km from the starting point of the line at Hizen-Yamaguchi.^[3] Only Sasebo Line local services stop at this station.^[4]

Station layout

The station, which is unstaffed, consists of a side platform and an island platform serving three tracks. Sidings branch off tracks 1 and 3. The station building is a timber structure which presently serves only as a waiting room. Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge.^[3][2]

• 
  A view from platform 1 in the direction of Takahashi.

History

The private Kyushu Railway had opened a track from Tosu to Saga on 20 August 1891. In the next phase of expansion, the track was extended westwards with Takeo (today Takeo-Onsen) opening as the new western terminus on 5 May 1895. Kitagata was opened on the same day as an intermediate station along the new stretch of track. 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 Nagasaki Main Line. On 1 December 1934, another track was designated the Nagasaki Main Line and the track serving the station was redesignated the Sasebo Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, control of the station passed to JR Kyushu.^[5][6]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2015, there were a total of 36,647 boarding passengers, giving a daily average of 100 passengers.^[7]

Surrounding area

• Japan National Route 34
• Rokkaku River

See also

• List of railway stations in Japan

References

1. "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
2. "北方" [Kitagata]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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5巻 長崎 佐賀 エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 5 Nagasaki Saga area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 20, 70. ISBN 9784062951647.
4. "北方" [Kitagata]. JR Kyushu official station website. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
5. 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. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 216. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
6. 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. 728. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
7. "佐賀県統計年鑑（平成28年版）" [Saga Prefecture Statistics Yearbook 2016 Edition]. Saga Prefectural Government website. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2018. See table 12-7 at section under Transportation and Communications.

External links

Media related to Kitagata Station (Saga) at Wikimedia Commons

• Kitagata Station (JR Kyushu)(in Japanese)