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21 Aug, 2019
By, Wikipedia

Higo-Ōzu Station

Higo-Ōzu Station (肥後大津駅, Higo-Ōzu-eki) is a passenger railway station located in the town of Ōzu, Kumamoto, Japan. It Is operated by JR Kyushu.

Lines

The station is served by the Hōhi Main Line and is located 22.6 km from the starting point of the line at Kumamoto.

Layout

The station consists of a side platform and an island platform serving three tracks at grade. The station building is located on the north side and is a traditional Japanese style wooden structure which houses a staffed ticket window and a waiting room. Another, more modern building, built in 2011 is located at the south entrance. This houses the Ōzu town visitor centre. The bus stop for the Kumamoto Airport Liner shuttle is also situated in front of this building. Access to the platforms and between the station building and the visitor centre is by means of a level crossing.

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 window which is equipped with a Midori no Madoguchi facility.

Platforms

1, 2, 3	■ ■ Hōhi Main Line	for Kumamoto
1, 2, 3	■ ■ Hōhi Main Line	for Aso and Oita

The south entrance of the station. The bus in front is the Kumamoto Airport Liner.
Rear of station building, with level crossing leading to Platform 1.
View from Platform 3, The island platform is to the left, with the station building beyond.

History

Japanese Government Railways (JGR) opened the station on 21 June 1914 as the eastern terminus of the Miyagi Light Rail Line (宮地軽便線) (later the Miyagi Line) from Kumamoto. Higo-Ōzu became a through-station on 11 November 1916 when the track was extended to Tateno. By 1928, the track had been extended further 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.

The track from Higo-Ōzu to Aso was heavily damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and as a result, service between the two stations was suspended. JR Kyushu commenced repairs on this section in April 2017, starting from Higo-Ōzu to Tateno; services resumed on the entire section on August 8, 2020.

On 4 March 2017, Higo-Ōzu was given the nickname "Aso Kumamoto Airport Station" as it is the nearest railway station to Kumamoto Airport.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2020, the station was used by an average of 2049 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 68th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.

Surrounding area

Ōzu Town Hall

References

^ "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
^ "肥後大津" [Higo-Ōzu]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
^ 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. Archived from the original on 4 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
^ "肥後大津駅" [Higo-Ōzu Station]. jr-mars.dyndns.org. Retrieved 24 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.
^ "JR九州、平成28年熊本地震で被害を受けた豊肥本線の復旧工事に4月着手" [JR Kyushu Restoration work commences in April on Hōhi Main Line track damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake]. Travel Watch. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
^ ""JR豊肥線、8月8日に運行再開熊本地震で不通の肥後大津－阿蘇区間" [JR Hohi Line resumes operation on August 8 Higo Ozu-Aso section, which was interrupted by the Kumamoto earthquake]. Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "蘇くまもと空港駅（JR肥後大津駅）愛称化記念イベントについて" [Aso Kumamoto Airport (JR Higo-Ōzu) Nickname Assignment Commemoration Event]. Kumamoto Prefecture Official Website. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
^ "駅別乗車人員上位300駅（2020年度）" (PDF). Retrieved 8 September 2023.