Ichitana Station

Railway station in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan

■ Nippō Main LineDistance238.5 km from KokuraPlatforms1 side + 1 island platformsTracks3 + 1 sidingConstructionStructure typeAt gradeAccessibleNo - island platform accessed by footbridgeOther informationStatusUnstaffedWebsiteOfficial websiteHistoryOpened1 July 1923 (1923-07-01)PassengersFY201513 daily Services

Preceding station	JR Kyushu			Following station
Kitagawa towards Kagoshima		Nippō Main Line		Sōtarō towards Kokura

Location
Ichitana Station Location within Miyazaki Prefecture Show map of Miyazaki Prefecture Ichitana Station Ichitana Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Ichitana Station (市棚駅, Ichitana-eki) is a passenger railway station in the city of Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan. It is operated by of JR Kyushu.^[1]^[2]It is the easternmost and northernmost station in Miyazaki Prefecture; between this station and Sotaro Station, is the prefectural border between Oita Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture.

Lines

The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 238.5 km from the starting point of the line at Kokura.^[3] Only local trains stop at this station.

Layout

The station consists of a side platform and an island platform serving three tracks at grade with a siding branching off track 3, all set in an open area of rural farmland. The station is not staffed and is no station building but a public toilet has been set up at the station entrance which also has a passenger shelter on the other side. Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge. A bike shed is provided at the station forecourt.^[2]^[3]

Platforms

1	■ ■ Nippō Main Line	for Saiki
2	■ ■ Nippō Main Line	for passage of express and freight trains
3	■ ■ Nippō Main Line	for Nobeoka

Passenger shelter. This is on the other side of the toilet building seen in the top image.
A view of the tracks at the station, looking south. The siding can be seen branching off to the left.

History

In 1913, the Miyazaki Prefectural Railway (宮崎県営鉄道) had opened a line from Miyazaki northwards to Hirose (now closed). After the Miyazaki Prefectural Railway was nationalized on 21 September 1917, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) undertook the subsequent extension of the track which it designated as the Miyazaki Main Line. Expanding north in phases, the track reached Ichitana which was established as the northern terminus on 1 July 1923. At the same time, JGR had been expanding its Hoshū Line south from Kokura down the east coast of Kyushu, reaching its southern terminus of Shigeoka just 9 km north of Ichitana by March 1922. The link up between the two lines was achieved on 15 December 1923, through-traffic was thus established from Kokura through Ichitana to Miyakonojō. The entire stretch of track was then renamed the Nippō Main Line. Freight operations and baggage handling were abolished in 1972 and the station became unmanned. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Kyushu.^[4]^[5]^[6]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 13 passengers (boarding only) per day.^[7]

Surrounding area

Japan National Route 10
Kagamiyama Observatory
Kagamiyama Paragliding Takeoff Field

References

^ "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b "市棚" [Ichitana]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
^ ^a ^b 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6巻熊本大分エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 6 Kumamoto Ōita Area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 49, 84. ISBN 9784062951654.
^ 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. pp. 228–9. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
^ 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). Vol. II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. p. 756. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
^ Imao, Keisuke (2009). 日本鉄道旅行地図帳 12号九州沖縄―全線・全駅・全廃線 [Japan Rail Travel Atlas No. 12 Kyushu Okinawa - all lines, all stations and disused lines] (in Japanese). Mook. pp. 62–3. ISBN 9784107900302.
^ "宮崎県統計年鑑鉄道輸送実績（１日平均）" [Miyazaki Prefecture Statistics Yearbook Railway Transportation Record (daily average)]. Miyazaki Prefectural Government website. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018. See the table for 平成28年度 [fiscal 2016].