# Tsuruga Station

Tsuruga Station (敦賀駅, Tsuruga-eki) is a joint-use railway station in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan, jointly operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Hapi-Line Fukui. The station premises are managed by JR West. It is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the Hokuriku Main Line, the Obama Line and the Hapi-Line Fukui Line, all of which terminate at Tsuruga. A freight-only branch line known as the Tsuruga Port Line operated by JR Freight formerly ran from this station.

## Lines

Tsuruga Station is served by the Hokuriku Main Line and is located 45.9 kilometres (28.5 miles) from the other terminus of the line at Maibara. Trains of the Kosei Line also continue past their nominal terminus at Ōmi-Shiotsu to terminate at this station. As of March 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen now serves Tsuruga and is located 574.7 kilometres (357.1 miles) from the terminus at Tōkyō. The station is also a terminus of the 84.3-kilometre (52.4-mile) Obama Line to Higashi-Maizuru.

## Station layout

The station platforms can be divided into two areas: the outdoor conventional area for local trains, and the Shinkansen building serving long-distance trains. The main link is the pedestrian bridge that starts behind the station's front building at the West Exit, crosses over and serve the conventional platforms, and connects to the second-floor concourse of the Shinkansen building.
The conventional area consists of three island platforms serving seven tracks. The overhead lines are powered using 1,500 V DC, although heading north on the Hapi-Line Fukui Line the electrification soon changes to 20 kV AC (60 Hz).
The Shinkansen building has two platform levels with the concourse sandwiched in between. The Shinkansen platforms, on the third floor at 21 metres above ground and consisting of two island platforms serving four tracks, is the tallest on the Shinkansen network. The height allows the tracks to continue over a nearby road viaduct. The first floor has two island platforms with four tracks for conventional limited express services from Osaka and Nagoya, that previously continued to Kanazawa via the outdoor conventional platforms but now terminate here to relay passengers to the Shinkansen.

### Platforms

| 1-2 | ■ Obama Line | for Obama and Higashi-Maizuru |
| 3 | ■ Hapi-Line Fukui Line | for Fukui, Kanazawa |
| 4 | ■ Hokuriku Main Line | Kosei Line Special Rapid / Local services for Maibara and Osaka |
| 5 | ■ Hokuriku Main Line | Kosei Line Special Rapid / Local services for Maibara and Osaka |
| 6 | ■ Hokuriku Main Line | for Maibara, Osaka |
| 7 | ■ Hapi-Line Fukui Line | for Fukui, Kanazawa |
| 7 | ■ Hokuriku Main Line | for Maibara, Osaka |
| 31-32 | ■ Arrival Only | - |
| 33-34 | ■ Hokuriku Main Line | Limited Express Thunderbird for Osaka and Shirasagi for Nagoya |
| 11-14 | ■ Hokuriku Shinkansen | for Kanazawa and Tokyo |
* Shinkansen concourse, March 2024
* Shinkansen platforms, May 2024
* 2010s station buildings in September 2018
* Driving wheel monument in August 2006
* Conventional line platforms in March 2007
* Station building in 1987

## History

Tsuruga Station opened on 10 March 1882. With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR West.
Station numbering was introduced in March 2018 with Tsuruga being assigned station number JR-A01 for the Hokuriku Main Line and JR-B08 for the Kosei Line (despite the latter formally terminating at Omi-Shiotsu).
The Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Tsuruga Station effective the timetable revision on 16 March 2024. As of the same date, the Hapi-Line Fukui Line began operations on the section of the Hokuriku Main Line to Daishoji formerly owned by JR West.

### Future plans

From October 2014, a gauge-changing test track was scheduled to be built next to the station on the site of the former motive power depot. The 180 m long test track will be used to test an experimental variable-gauge bogie, which can be changed from 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and vice versa. The aim is to prove durability in cold and snowy conditions with a view to using the variable-gauge Gauge Change Train on through services between the standard-gauge Hokuriku Shinkansen and narrow-gauge Hokuriku Main Line in the future.

## Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 3,610 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).

## Surrounding area

* Tsuruga Public Library
* Fukui University, Tsuruga campus