Urawa Station
Encyclopedia
located in Urawa-ku, Saitama
Urawa-ku, Saitama
is a ward of Saitama City, Japan. It is surrounded by Midori-ku , Minami-ku , Chūō-ku , Ōmiya-ku , and Minuma-ku of Saitama city....
, 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...
, operated by East Japan Railway Company
East Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East). It is located near Saitama City Hall and Saitama Prefectural Government's Office and the Parliament. The JTB
JTB Corporation
, is the largest travel agency in Japan and one of the largest travel agencies in the world. It specializes in tourism. There are branches all over the world to help Japanese visitors, including both private and business travelers. It was formerly owned by the Japanese government...
Train Guide depicts it as the central station in Saitama City and Saitama Prefecture
Saitama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
while Ōmiya Station
Omiya Station (Saitama)
is a railway station in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama, Japan. It is a major interchange station for the East Japan Railway Company .-JR East:* Tōhoku Shinkansen* Akita Shinkansen* Yamagata Shinkansen* Jōetsu Shinkansen* Nagano Shinkansen...
is a hub
Transportation hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include train stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stop, airports and ferry slips. Freight hubs include classification yards, seaports and truck...
that serves more lines to more directions.
The following railways connect through the station:
- East Japan Railway CompanyEast Japan Railway Companyis the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
(JR East)- Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya LineUtsunomiya LineThe is the name given to a 159.9 kilometre section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan...
) - Takasaki LineTakasaki LineThe is a Japanese railway line which runs between Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company ....
- Keihin-Tōhoku LineKeihin-Tohoku LineThe , is a railway line in Japan which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company network. The line's name is derived from the characters for , and the...
- Tōhoku Main Line (Utsunomiya Line
History
On 28 July 1883, the station was opened as a station of Nippon Tetsudō (lit. Japan Railway) company, when this company opened the railway from Ueno Station to Kumagaya Station (part of today's Takasaki LineTakasaki Line
The is a Japanese railway line which runs between Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company ....
). At that time, there were only six stations along the route (Ueno, Ōji, Urawa, Ageo, Kōnosu, and Kumagaya), so Urawa Station is one of the oldest stations of the Tōhoku Main Line, and is also the oldest in current Saitama City.
Station layout
Currently the new elevated railroad tracks and platforms are under construction and so the structure of the station is quite complicated.No. 1-2
Tracks 1 and 2 form one island platformIsland 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...
. This platform is already moved to the 2nd floor.
No. 3-4
Tracks 3 and 4 form one island platform. As of February 2011, one side of the platform (Track 3 towards ) is functioning. Track 4 is scheduled to open in March 2011.Surrounding area
- SaitamaSaitama Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Saitama.This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which a large amount of residents commute each day.- History...
Prefectural Government Office - Saitama City Hall
- IsetanIsetanis a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna....
- Corso (department store located in front of Urawa Station west exit)
- PARCO Department Store
- Urawa Royal Pines Hotel
- Urawa Washington Hotel
- Red Voltage (official goods shop of Urawa Reds)
- National Route 17Route 17 (Japan)National Route 17 is a highway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It originates at Nihonbashi in Chūō, Tokyo and terminates in the city of Niigata , where it meets Routes 7, 8, 49, 113 and 116)....
- National Route 463Route 463 (Japan)National Route 463 is a national highway of Japan connecting Koshigaya, Saitama and Iruma, Saitama in Japan, with a total length of 43.8 km ....
Railway elevation around Urawa Station
The railroad tracks separate the town, and so cars and pedestrians cannot easily go across the tracks. Also, Shōnan-Shinjuku Line
Shonan-Shinjuku Line
The is a passenger railway service in Japan which commenced in December 2001. The line has no dedicated track as services run through shared sections along the Ryōmō Line, Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line, Yamanote Freight Line, Yokosuka Line, and Tōkaidō Main Line...
trains now pass through Urawa Station, but there are no platforms for these services because they run on tracks originally laid only for freight trains. The station is therefore being reconstructed with new elevated platforms for Shōnan-Shinjuku Line trains, and to widen the road which passes under the tracks near the station. Construction of the Shōnan-Shinjuku Line platforms is scheduled to be completed in 2012.
Adjacent stations
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See also
- Saitama City
- Urawa Reds