Kizu Station (Kyoto Prefecture) (木津駅 (京都府))

Kizu Station, located at 116-2 Kizu Ikeda, Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a railway station of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).

Although its location is quite important, as the tracks extend toward in four directions and the trains of two lines depart from this station, the number of passengers isn't very large.

ICOCA and J-through cards can be used at this station (refer to the column on ICOCA for information concerning IC cards that are mutually usable).

Lines

West Japan Railway Company (JR West)

Kansai Main Line (Yamatoji Line)

(JR) Nara Line - the station of origin

Katamachi Line - the station of origin

Although this is the official terminal station of both Nara Line and Katamachi Line, no trains of Nara Line depart from or arrive at this station in practice, as they depart from or arrive at Nara Station due to the route of operation (i.e., some trains bound for Kyoto depart from JR-Nanba Station and Oji Station). On the other hand, this is the terminal station for most trains on the Katamachi Line, except for some that run directly into Nara Station early in the morning and late at night.

Station layout

This station is a ground station (station building on the bridge) having two platforms for four tracks. The current station building on the bridge began operating as of April 1, 2007. Its unique streamlined exterior is said to have been designed with the image of the flow of the Kizu-gawa River in mind. It also employs wood-grain design throughout, in order to symbolize the history of the town (old Kizu-cho) that once thrived here, thanks to the distribution of lumber.

The old station building was a one-story structure built in the Taisho period, and was linked to platforms by a passage running under the tracks (as tracks were located on the bank, the passage was constructed at ground level). In the past, there were two tracks on the west side of the current Platform 1, two tracks between two platforms and storage tracks (six tracks) on the east side.

Before the station building was constructed on the bridge, the term 'X ban-sen (Platform X)' had been used in the automated guidance announcement in the station, but instead of that, 'X ban noriba (Platform X),' which is commonly used at stations of JR West, is currently used.

Out of the trains bound for Nara (outbound train), a train coming from Kamo Station via the Yamatoji Line could enter Platform 3 or Platform 4, but a train coming from Kyoto via the Nara Line can only use Platform 3. When trains of both lines arrive at the station simultaneously, trains of the Yamatoji Line use Platform 4, which is usually a sidetrack. From time to time, Yamatoji Rapid Service waits for the passing of trains on the Nara Line at this station. The Yamatoji Liner, whose station of origin is this station, departs from Platform 4.

Because the track of Katamachi Line (Gakkentoshi Line) connects only to Platform 1 on the west side of the station, trains of this line use only Platform 1. Although Platform 1 serves as the sidetrack for trains bound for Kyoto (Nara Line), under the current schedule no trains wait for the passing of other trains at Platform 1. However, an inbound train of the Nara Line uses Platform 1 once a day, seemingly for the purpose of removing the rust.

Station surroundings

Kizu-gawa River (Kyoto Prefecture)
Kizugawa City Hall (the old Kizu-cho Town Office)
Kyoto Prefectural Kizu High School
Kizu Regional Joint Government Building (Legal Affairs Bureau, Public Prosecutors Office, Hello Work (public employment security office))
National Route 24 (also National Route 163)
Tenri Kamo Kizu Line of Nara and Kyoto Prefectural Route 47
Kizu-teishajo Line of Kyoto Prefectural Route 323
The Kizu police station of the Kyoto Prefectural Police Department
Yamashiro-Minami Civil Engineering Office, Kyoto Prefecture
The Kizu Minamigaito post office
Yamashiro Public Hospital

Agricultural fields extend over the area east of the station. Most shops and houses are located in the area on the west side of the station.

Currently, 'Land readjustment project of the area in front of Kizu Station (promoted by Kizugawa City)' is underway on the west side of the station and 'Land Readjustment Project of the Central District of Kizu (Promoted by the Urban Renaissance Agency)' is also underway in the area 1.5 km from the east exit of the station, which is expected to open soon.

Bus routes

In the wake of the completion of the station building on the bridge, the construction of a traffic square was completed in front of the east exit of the station on July 2, 2007 and buses operated by Nara Kotsu Bus Lines Co., Ltd., began entering from the Kizuminami district (Kunimidai and Umemidai).

Nara kotsu
West exit
Route 52: Kaseyama - Kizu Station - Kizugawa City Hall - Yamadagawa Station - Nanyo High School (no service on school holidays of Nanyo High School)
Route 65: Kizugawa Station - Kaseyama - Kamo Station (Kyoto Prefecture) - Kuni Ohashi - Ibirao - Wazuka Kawahara - Ninose - Wazuka-cho Kosugi
Route 71: Kizu Station - Kizugawa City Hall - Yamadagawa Station
Route 72: Kaseyama - Kizu Station - Kizugawa City Hall - Yamadagawa Station
East exit
Route 11 (Kizuminami loop bus): East entrance of Kizu Station - Kunimidai 4-chome - Kunimibashi-Higashi - Kunimidai 8-chome - Kunimibashi-Higashi - Kizu-minami Soleil -Umemidai Elementary School - Umemidai 5-chome - Umemidai 3-chome - Umemidai 2 -chome - East entrance of Kizu Station
Service is provided only on weekdays.

Kizu-cho loop bus (Kinotsu bus)
West exit
Kizugawadai Jutaku - Yamadagawa Station - Kizu Junior High School - Kizu Honmachi - Kizu Station - Kizu Honmachi - Izumi Hall - Central Gymnasium - Saganakadai-Higashi - Hightouch Research Park - Nanyo High School - Kabutodai 1-chome - Takanohara Station
Umedani - Bunkobashi - Umemidai 5-chome - Kunimibashi-Higashi - Kunimidai 8-chome - Kunimibashi-Higashi - Ichisaka - Kizu Station - Kizu Junior High School - Yamadagawa Station - Hightouch Research Park - Nanyo High School - Kabutodai 1-chome - Takanohara Station
Kaseyama - Kizu Station - Kizu Junior High School - Yamadagawa Station - Saganakadai-kita - Saganakadai-Higashi - Saganakadai Elementary School - Kabutodai 7-chome - Kabutodai 1-chome - Takanohara Station

Passenger use

The average number of passengers a day in fiscal year 2006 was 3,118 (based on statistics compiled by the Kyoto Prefectural Government).

History

March 13, 1896: Nara Railway's Kizu Station began operating (as a general railway station).

June 4, 1898: Kansei Railway Company's Shin-Kizu Station commenced operations and became the transit station to Kizu Station, although it's approximately 600 meters away from Kizu Station.

September 16, 1898: Kansei Railway Company's Kizu Station became operational (the section between Shin-Kizu and Kizu of the line was extended).

November 18, 1898: The section between Shin-Kizu and Kamo stations went into operation, and as a result the section between Amijima Station (abolished in 1913) and Nagoya Station, which was the new line connecting Nagoya and Osaka, came into operation as a whole.

January 18, 1901: The section between Shin-Kizu and Kizu operations were suspended.

February 7, 1905: The Kansei Railway Company merged with the Nara Railway.

August 21, 1907: The section between Kamo and Kizu came into operation and the current route of the Kansai Main Line was completed. The section between Shin-Kizu and Kizu began operating again. The operations of Shin-Kizu Station were suspended.

October 1, 1907: The Kansei Railway Company was nationalized.

October 12, 1909: In the wake of the establishment of the line name, this became a station of the Kansai Main Line.

August 30, 1911: Shin-Kizu Station, whose operations had been suspended, was abolished.

February 1, 1984: Freight service was abolished (this facility became a passenger railway station).

April 1, 1987: This station became a facility of JR West, due to the division and privatization of JNR.

April 1, 2007: The station building on the bridge commenced operations.

February 8, 2008: The access way linking the east and west sides of the station, which was constructed by making full use of the passage of the old station building that linked to platforms, was placed in service.