is a passenger

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

located in the city of

Imabari is a city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 152,111 in 75,947 households and a population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Th ...

Ehime Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,334,841 and a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Toku ...

, Japan. It is operated by

JR Shikoku The , commonly known as , is the smallest of the seven constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates of intercity and local rail services in the four Prefectures of Japan, prefectures on the island of Shikoku in Jap ...

and has the station number "Y36".

Lines

Imabari Station is served by the JR Shikoku

Yosan Line The is the principal railway line on the island of Shikoku in Japan, connecting the major cities of Shikoku, and via the Honshi-Bisan Line, with Honshu. It is operated by the Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku), and is aligned approximately p ...

and is located 144.9 km from the beginning of the line at . Yosan Line local trains which stop at the station only serve the sector between and . Connections with other local or limited express trains are needed to travel further east or west along the line. In addition, the following JR Shikoku limited express services also serve the station: *'' Shiokaze'' - from to and *'' Ishizuchi'' - from to and *''Midnight Express Matsuyama'' - in one direction only, from to *''Morning Express Matsuyama'' - in one direction only, from to

Layout

The station consists of an

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

and a

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

serving three elevated tracks. The station building houses a waiting room, shops, a bakery, a JR ''

Midori no Madoguchi , short for ''Magnetic-electronic Automatic'' ''Reservation System,'' is a train ticket reservation system used by the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and travel agencies in Japan. It was developed jointly by Hitachi and the former Ja ...

'' staffed ticket office and a JR Travel Centre (Warp Plaza). The platforms are located on the third level. Passengers may cross from the side to the island platform and vice versa through a passage on the second level served by elevators and escalators. Bicycle rental is available at the station. Car parking and car rental is available just outside the station building. File:JR Imabari Station platform - panoramio (12).jpg, View of the platforms. The yellow column in the distance is the elevator shaft. File:JR Imabari Station - panoramio (12).jpg, Passageway connecting the platforms. File:JR Imabari Station ticket gate - panoramio.jpg, Ticket gate. File:JR Imabari Station - panoramio (8).jpg, Part of the station concourse. File:JR Imabari Station - panoramio (6).jpg, Taxis outside the station. The bus terminal is just beyond.

Adjacent stations

History

Imabari Station opened on 11 February 1924 as the terminus of the then Sanyo Line which had been extended westwards from . It became a through-station on 1 December 1924 when the line was further extended to . At that time the station was operated by

Japanese Government Railways The Japanese Government Railways (JGR) was the national rail transport, railway system directly operated by the until 1949. It was a predecessor of Japanese National Railways and the later Japan Railways Group. Name The English name "Japanese ...

, later becoming

Japanese National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

(JNR). With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, control of the station passed to JR Shikoku.

Surrounding area

*Imabari City Hall *Imabari Meitoku High School *Ehime Prefectural Imabari Kita High School *Ehime Prefectural Imabari Nishi High School

References

External links

Imabari Station (JR Shikoku)
{{Yosan Line Railway stations in Ehime Prefecture Railway stations in Japan opened in 1924 Imabari, Ehime