Railway station in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Shimo-Imaichi Station (下今市駅, Shimo-Imaichi-eki) is a railway station in the city of Nikkō, Tochigi, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Tōbu Railway. The station is numbered "TN-23".
Lines
Shimo-Imaichi Station is served by the 94.5 km Tōbu Nikkō Line, and is also the starting point of the 16.2 km Tobu Kinugawa Line to Shin-Fujiwara. It is 87.4 km from the starting point of the Tobu Nikko Line at Tōbu-Dōbutsu-Kōen.[1]
Station layout
The station consists of two island platforms serving four tracks, connected to the station entrance by a footbridge.
Platforms
History
Shimo-Imaichi Station opened on 7 July 1929.[1]
From 17 March 2012, station numbering was introduced on all Tōbu lines, with Shimo-Imaichi Station becoming "TN-23".[2]
A turntable was installed next to the station in 2016 for turning the steam locomotive used on steam-hauled tourist trains operating between Shimo-Imaichi and Kinugawa-Onsen since August 2017.[3] The turntable was acquired from the JR West Nagatoshi Station in Yamaguchi Prefecture.[3] A two-stall engine shed to house the steam locomotive was also constructed adjacent to it. At the same time, the station was renovated to architecturally resemble a Japanese railway station from the Showa era.
The original footbridge linking the platforms received protection by the national government as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017.[4]
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The station in October 2008
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The station entrance in August 2017, following renovation
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The turntable and engine shed in August 2017
Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 2432 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[5]
Tōbu Railway
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