Tatsutaguchi Station

Railway station in Kumamoto, Japan

■ Hōhi Main LineDistance8.9 km from KumamotoPlatforms1 island platformTracks2ConstructionStructure typeAt gradeOther informationStatusStaffed ticket window (outsourced)WebsiteOfficial websiteHistoryOpened21 June 1914 (1914-06-21)PassengersFY2020557 dailyRank203rd (among JR Kyushu stations) Services

Preceding station	JR Kyushu			Following station
Tōkai-Gakuen-mae towards Kumamoto		Hōhi Main Line		Musashizuka towards Ōita

Location
Tatsutaguchi Station Location within Kumamoto Prefecture Show map of Kumamoto Prefecture Tatsutaguchi Station Tatsutaguchi Station (Japan) Show map of Japan

Tatsutaguchi Station (竜田口駅, Tatsutaguchi-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the Kita-ku ward of the city of Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu.^[1]^[2] It is the nearest train station from Kumamoto University International House, as well as the nearest JR station from Kumamoto university main campus (Kurokami campus).

Lines

The station is served by the Hōhi Main Line and is located 8.9 km from the starting point of the line at Kumamoto.^[3]

Layout

The station consists of an island platform serving two tracks at grade. The station building is a Japanese style wooden structure with a red tile roof. It houses a waiting area and a staffed ticket window. Access to the island platform is by means of a level crossing. To the south of the station, beyond platform 2, is a disused siding.^[2]^[3]

Management of the station has been outsourced to the JR Kyushu Tetsudou Eigyou Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of JR Kyushu specialising in station services. It staffs the ticket booth which is equipped with a POS machine but does not have a Midori no Madoguchi facility.^[4]^[5]

Platforms

1	■ Hōhi Main Line	for Higo-Ōzu and Aso
2	■ Hōhi Main Line	for Suizenji and Kumamoto

A view of the platforms and tracks

History

On 21 June 1914, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) opened the Miyagi Light Rail Line (宮地軽便線) (later the Miyagi Line) from Kumamoto eastwards to Higo-Ōzu. On the same day, this station was opened as one of several intermediate stations along the track. By 1928, the track had been extended eastward and had linked up with the Inukai Line (犬飼線) which had been built westward from Ōita. On 2 December 1928, the entire track from Kumamoto to Ōita was designated as the Hōhi Main Line. 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.^[6]^[7]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2020, the station was used by an average of 557 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 203rd among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.^[8]

Surrounding area

Kumamoto University
Kumamoto International Folk Crafts Museum

References

^ "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
^ ^a ^b "竜田口" [Tatsutaguchi]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 18 April 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. 35, 77. ISBN 9784062951654.
^ "熊本支店内各駅" [Stations within the Kumamoto Branch]. JRTE website. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
^ "竜田口駅" [Tatsutaguchi Station]. jr-mars.dyndns.org. Retrieved 18 April 2018. See images of tickets sold.
^ 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. p. 228. 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. 744. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
^ "駅別乗車人員上位300駅（2020年度）" (PDF). Retrieved 8 September 2023.