# Kagoshima-Chūō Station

Kagoshima-Chūō Station (鹿児島中央駅, Kagoshima-Chūō-eki, Kagoshima Central Station) is a major railway station in the city of Kagoshima, Japan. It is operated by the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). It is also the southernmost high-speed Shinkansen railway terminal in Japan.

## Lines

The station is the southern terminus of the Kyushu Shinkansen and is located 288.9 km from Hakata and 1463.8 km from Tokyo. It is also served by the Kagoshima Main Line and the Nippo Main Line and is 395.3 km from Mojiko. It is also the northern terminus of the 87.8 kilometer Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line.

## Layout

The conventional portion of the station consists of three ground-level island platforms and six tracks laid in a roughly north-south direction, while the Shinkansen portion of the station is elevated (three stories) with two island platforms and four tracks laid in a right-angle. The Shinkansen platform can accommodate trains of up to eight cars in length (can be extended to ten cars), and has a movable platform safety fence. The station building is located on the second floor, halfway between the conventional line platform and the Shinkansen platform, and the exits are connected by a concourse. The station has a Midori no Madoguchi staffed ticket office.

### Platforms

| 1 | ■ Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line | for Goino, Ibusuki, and Yamakawa |
| 2-4 | ■ Kagoshima Main Line | for Ijūin, Kushikino, and Sendai |
| 2-4 | ■ Nippō Main Line | for Kagoshima, Hayato, and Miyazaki |
| 2-4 | ■ Ibusuki-Makurazaki Line | for Goino, Ibusuki, and Yamakawa |
| 5/6 | ■ Kagoshima Main Line | for Ijūin, Kushikino, and Sendai |
| 5/6 | ■ Nippō Main Line | for Kagoshima, Hayato, and Miyazaki |
| 11-14 | Kyushu Shinkansen | for Kumamoto, Hakata, and Shin-Osaka |

## History

Kagoshima-Chūō initially opened on October 11, 1913 as Take Station (武駅, Take-eki) on the Sendai Line. On December 17, 1915, the adjacent Take Ekimae tram stop (武駅前停留所) opened.
Take Station changed its name to Nishi-Kagoshima Station (西鹿児島駅) on October 17, 1927, with the Take Ekimae tram stop being renamed Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop (西鹿児島駅前停留所) on August 7, 1928.
On March 13, 2004, Nishi-Kagoshima Station was renamed Kagoshima-Chūō Station (鹿児島中央駅), and Kyushu Shinkansen services began between Shin-Yatsushiro and Kagoshima-Chūō. The Nishi-Kagoshima Ekimae tram stop was renamed the Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae tram stop (鹿児島中央駅前停留所).

## Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2020, the station was used by an average of 14,013 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 3rd among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.

## Surrounding areas

* Kagoshima-Chūō Ekimae tram stop
* Amu Plaza Kagoshima and Amuran Ferris wheel
* Kagoshima Central Post Office
* Museum of the Meiji Restoration
* Naples Avenue (ナポリ通り, Napori-dōri)
* Kagoshima Prefectural Konan High School
* Kagoshima Prefectural Tsurumaru High School

## Trains
### Limited Express trains

* Kirishima - Nippō Main Line
* Ibusuki no Tamatebako - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line

### Liner and Rapid trains

* Nanohana - Ibusuki Makurazaki Line
* Ocean Liner Satsuma - Kagoshima Main Line

## Ekiben

* Tonkatsu bento, a bento with tonkatsu available as ekiben, is a local specialty consisting of Kagoshima pork ribs simmered in shōchū, miso, and black sugar for over five hours.