Niigata Station

This article is about the station in Niigata, Japan. For the railway station in Kure, Hiroshima, Japan, see Nigata Station.

Niigata Station (新潟駅, Niigata-eki) is a major railway station in Chūō-ku, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).^[1] The station is in the center of Niigata City, the largest city on the Sea of Japan coast in Honshu. It forms the central station for the railway infrastructure along the Sea of Japan coast, and is also the terminus of the Jōetsu Shinkansen high-speed line from Tokyo.

Niigata Station 新潟駅
View of the station from the Bandai exit in June 2015
General information
Location	1 Hanazono, Chūō-ku, Niigata-shi Niigata-ken 950-0086 Japan
Coordinates	37°54′43.3″N 139°3′42.8″E
Operated by	JR East
Line(s)	Jōetsu Shinkansen      Shin'etsu Main Line      Hakushin Line      Echigo Line
Platforms	2 side + 4 island platforms
Tracks	4 Shinkansen 5 Conventional lines
Connections	Bus terminal
Construction
Structure type	Elevated
Other information
Status	Staffed ("Midori no Madoguchi" )
Website	Official website
History
Opened	3 May 1904; 120 years ago (1904-05-03)
Passengers
FY2017	37,461 daily
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station Tsubame-Sanjō towards Tokyo Jōetsu Shinkansen Toki Terminus Niitsu towards Naoetsu Shirayuki Kameda towards Naoetsu Shin'etsu Main Line Rapid Echigo-Ishiyama towards Naoetsu Shin'etsu Main Line Local Terminus Inaho Toyosaka towards Akita Hakushin Line Higashi-Niigata towards Shibata Kamitokoro towards Kashiwazaki Echigo Line Terminus
Location Niigata Station Location within JR Shinetsu Main Line Show map of JR Shinetsu Main Line Niigata Station Niigata Station (JR Hakushin Line) Show map of JR Hakushin Line Niigata Station Niigata Station (JR Echigo Line) Show map of JR Echigo Line Niigata Station Niigata Station (BRT Bandai-bashi Line) Show map of BRT Bandai-bashi Line Niigata Station Niigata Station (Niigata Prefecture) Show map of Niigata Prefecture Niigata Station Niigata Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Lines

Niigata Station is served by the following lines.

• Joetsu Shinkansen
• Shin'etsu Main Line
• Hakushin Line
• Echigo Line

Station layout

The station has two side platforms (former 1, 4) and two island platforms (former 2/3, and 8/9) at ground level serving a total of six tracks for conventional narrow gauge lines, of which only one island platform remains in use for trains originating from Niigata Station. This island platform (8/9) is an extension of one of the side platforms (1). The station also has two elevated side platforms 2, 5) and one island platform 3,4) serving conventional narrow gauge lines, and two more elevated island platforms serving four shinkansen tracks (11 to 14). The elevated station building has a "Midori no Madoguchi" staffed ticket counter and "View Plaza" travel agency.^[1]

• 
  Gate (Bandai Entrance)
• 
  Ticket machines (Bandai Entrance)
• 
  Elevated platforms
• 
  Ground level platform No.8 and No.9
• 
  Ground level platform No.1 (not in use)
• 
  Sake Museum Ponshu-kan

Platforms

(Elevated)

1	■ -	(facilities not yet in place)
2-5	■ Shinetsu Line	for Niitsu, Nagaoka, and Tsugawa
	■ Ban'etsu West Line	for Gosen and Aizu-Wakamatsu
	■ Hakushin Line	for Shibata and Murakami
	■ Uetsu Main Line	for Shibata and Murakami
	■ Echigo Line	for Yoshida and Kashiwazaki
11-14	■ Joetsu Shinkansen	for Takasaki, Ōmiya, and Tokyo

(Ground level)

former 1-4	■ -	(not in use)
former 5-7	■ -	(facilities removed)
8-9	■ Shinetsu Line	for Niitsu, Nagaoka, and Tsugawa (starting trains)
	■ Ban'etsu West Line	for Gosen and Aizu-Wakamatsu (starting trains)
	■ Hakushin Line	for Shibata and Murakami (starting trains)
	■ Uetsu Main Line	for Shibata and Murakami (starting trains)

History

Niigata Station opened on 3 May 1904.^[1] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR East.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2017, the station was used by an average of 37,461 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).^[2] The passenger figures for previous years are as shown below.

Fiscal year	Daily average
2000	36,894[3]
2001	37,185[4]
2002	37,407[5]
2003	37,612[6]
2004	36,300[7]
2005	37,050[8]
2006	36,769[9]
2007	36,849[10]
2008	37,012[11]
2009	36,396[12]
2010	36,269[13]
2011	36,711[14]
2011	37,446[15]

Surrounding area

• CoCoLo Niigata, shopping center in the station
• Sake Museum Ponshu-kan
• National Route 7
• National Route 8
• Bandai Bridge

A panorama view of the North (Bandai) Entrance, June 2013

A panorama view of the South Entrance, June 2013

Bus terminals

A sign of Bandaiguchi Bus Terminal, June 2016

Both the Bandai Entrance and the South Entrance have bus terminals.^[16][17] As of February 2017^[update], the following transit bus line are on service.

Bandaiguchi Bus Terminal

• Niigata City Loop Bus^[18][19]
• Transit bus operated by Niigata Kotsu^[20]
  • BRT "Bandai-bashi Line" : Niigata Sta.—Bandai Bridge—Furumachi—City office—Hakusan Station—Aoyama
  • C* : for Central Niigata^[21]
  • S* : for South Niigata^[22]
  • W* : for West Niigata^[23]
  • E* : for East Niigata^[24]
  • "Sado-Kisen Line" : Niigata Sta.—Toki Messe—Sado Kisen Ferry Terminal

Minamiguchi Bus Terminal

• Transit bus operated by Niigata Kotsu
  • Limousine bus for Niigata Airport
  • C* / S* / W* / E*
    • S7 : for Big Swan Stadium, Niigata Prefectural Baseball Stadium