Otsu Station
Encyclopedia
is a railway station
of West Japan Railway Company
on its Tōkaidō Main Line
(Biwako Line) in Kasuga-cho, Ōtsu
, Shiga Prefecture
, Japan
.
It is a ground-level station with two island platform
s and 4 tracks. There are two gates on the south and north; the latter is named Biwako
Entrance. Each platform is connected with an underpass to the gates by two stairs and an elevator.
The station is situated on the middle of a four-track section. Some Special Rapid Service trains and some Kusatsu Line
direct service train in the morning and evening use the outer two tracks (Nos. 1 and 4 for each direction) and other trains use the inner tracks (Nos. 2 and 3).
and Zeze Station
.
. Trains from Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto switchedback at Baba Station (present-day Zeze Station
) to overcome an elevation difference and entered into Ōtsu Station, the terminal adjacent to a port of the Lake Biwa
. The railway with the port station provided joint service with boats on the lake which enabled the transport of passengers and freight between the new capital, Tokyo, and the old capital, Kyoto despite of incompleteness of the railway in the Shiga Prefecture area. This is the first example of the train-boat joint service in Japan. The boats left each port, Ōtsu and Nagahama, 3 times a day and took about 3 hours to cross the lake.
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
of West Japan Railway Company
West Japan Railway Company
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group companies and operates in western Honshū. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka.-History:...
on its Tōkaidō Main Line
Tokaido Main Line
The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...
(Biwako Line) in Kasuga-cho, Ōtsu
Otsu, Shiga
is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²...
, Shiga Prefecture
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Station layout
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s and 4 tracks. There are two gates on the south and north; the latter is named Biwako
Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture , northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.-...
Entrance. Each platform is connected with an underpass to the gates by two stairs and an elevator.
Platforms
The station is situated on the middle of a four-track section. Some Special Rapid Service trains and some Kusatsu Line
Kusatsu Line
The is a railway line in western Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company . It connects Tsuge on the Kansai Main Line with Kusatsu on the Biwako Line .-Stations:...
direct service train in the morning and evening use the outer two tracks (Nos. 1 and 4 for each direction) and other trains use the inner tracks (Nos. 2 and 3).
History
The current station complex was built in 1921 when a new route was introduced to the section between Kyoto StationKyoto Station
is the most important transportation hub in Kyoto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest train station building and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof...
and Zeze Station
Zeze Station
is a train station in Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan. The station is on the Biwako Line of West Japan Railway Company . In front of Zeze Station is on the Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line of Keihan Electric Railway...
.
First station
The first Ōtsu Station was built on July 15, 1880, the site of which is now occupied by Hama-Ōtsu Station of Keihan Electric RailwayKeihan Electric Railway
is a Japanese railway operator in Osaka, Kyoto, and Shiga Prefectures. It is known as , or .-History:Keihan started its operation between Osaka and Kyoto in 1910. It was the first electric railway to connect these two cities, and the first line on the left bank of Yodo River...
. Trains from Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto switchedback at Baba Station (present-day Zeze Station
Zeze Station
is a train station in Ōtsu, Shiga, Japan. The station is on the Biwako Line of West Japan Railway Company . In front of Zeze Station is on the Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line of Keihan Electric Railway...
) to overcome an elevation difference and entered into Ōtsu Station, the terminal adjacent to a port of the Lake Biwa
Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located in Shiga Prefecture , northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Because of its proximity to the ancient capital, references to Lake Biwa appear frequently in Japanese literature, particularly in poetry and in historical accounts of battles.-...
. The railway with the port station provided joint service with boats on the lake which enabled the transport of passengers and freight between the new capital, Tokyo, and the old capital, Kyoto despite of incompleteness of the railway in the Shiga Prefecture area. This is the first example of the train-boat joint service in Japan. The boats left each port, Ōtsu and Nagahama, 3 times a day and took about 3 hours to cross the lake.