Sakanoichi Station
Lines. The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 147.4 km from the starting point of the line at . Layout. The station consists of an island platform serving two tracks at grade with a siding. The station building is a modern steel frame structure with a flat roof. It houses a waiting area, SUGOCA card readers, automatic ticket vending machines and a staffed ticket window. Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge. Bike sheds and parking are available at the station forecourt. Management of the passenger facilities at 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 POS machine but does not have a "Midori no Madoguchi" facility. History. The private Kyushu Railway had, by 1909, through acquisition and its own expansion, established a track from to . The Kyushu Railway was nationalised on 1 July 1907. Japanese Government Railways (JGR), designated the track as the Hōshū Main Line on 12 October 1909 and expanded it southwards in phases. On 1 April 1914, was opened as the  new southern terminus after the track had been extended south from . On the same day, Sakanoichi was opened as an intermediate station on the new track. On 15 December 1923, the Hōshū Main Line was renamed the Nippō 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. JR Kyushu had planned to convert Sakanoichi (with several other stations in Ōita City) into an unstaffed, remotely-managed "Smart Support Station" by 17 March 2018 but after opposition from users, this was postponed, pending  works to improve accessibility. Passenger statistics. In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 1,165 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 147th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.