Nagoya Station

thumb|Nagoya Station at dusk

is a terminal railway station in Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Japan. It formerly held the world record for the largest train station by floor area (410,000 m<sup>2</sup>), including JR Central Towers atop the station. The station services the area in the Japanese addressing system, the commercial center of Nagoya. The station is adjacent to the Meitetsu Nagoya Station, the terminal of Meitetsu; and the Kintetsu Nagoya Station, the terminal of the Kintetsu Nagoya Line. It is assigned station numbers CA68, CF00, and CJ00 for the JR Central lines, H08 and S02 for the Nagoya Municipal Subway (NMS) lines, and AN01 for the Aonami Line.

Nagoya Station was initially opened on 1 May 1886, as a station on an unnamed branch line extending south from the Tokyo-Osaka railway, which was originally planned to take the inland Nakasendō route. After the route of the railway line was revised to take the Tōkaidō route, the station became part of the Tōkaidō Main Line. Since its opening, the station building has been reconstructed multiple times, most recently in 1999. The NMS first connected the station to their network in 1957. The Aonami Line began carrying passengers in 2006, after serving as a freight-only line. Construction works are underway to convert the station into the western terminus of the first section of the Chūō Shinkansen, by building two underground platforms.

JR Central operates the station. The JR Central station has six island platforms on the eastern side, and two more on the western side. The stations on the NMS lines have two island platforms, each for their respective served lines. The separate station for the Aonami Line has a single island platform for the line.

Four limited express trains (Shinano, Nanki, Hida, Shirasagi) and an additional named rapid service, Mie, serve the station. The station is connected to a bus terminal operated by the Nagoya City Transportation Bureau.

Location and lines

The station is located in Meieki area of Nagoya, popular among tourists visiting Aichi Prefecture. The area's name is officially recognized in the Japanese addressing system. In the area, major redevelopments led by Meitetsu have been taking place. Meieki has been competing over the position of the commercial center of Nagoya against Sakae and Kanayama. Semi-rapid services to Taketoyo Station via Taketoyo Line depart from the station during the evening, and operate on the Tokaido Main Line all day. Limited express services, such as the Hida and Nanki, provide service to the Takayama Main Line and the Kisei Main Line, while Shirasagi and Shinano limited express services run on the Tōkaidō and Chūō Lines.

The station is also served by the Aonami Line operated by the third-sector Nagoya Rinkai Rapid Transit on a separate platform. Nagoya Municipal Subway operates an underground station with the same name, and is served by the Higashiyama Line and Sakura-dōri Line.

History

Background

The Japanese government initially intended to build a trunk line connecting Tokyo and Osaka with a route that goes through central Chūbu region, which was named the Nakasendo route. The seaside Tōkaidō route was avoided at first by Japanese officials, due to concerns of vulnerability to foreign naval gunfire in case of wars. In the plan, a branch line would be constructed between Gifu Station and Taketoyo Station to transport materials for the main line, and Nagoya would've been serviced by only the branch line. The Nakasendo line from Gifu would've continued east instead of heading southeast towards Nagoya, linking Tajimi, Ena, Shiojiri, Matsumoto, Ueda, Takasaki, and Tokyo. The city of Nagoya opposed the plan, as they considered the plan would hinder their progress to modernize the city.

Post–construction

right|thumb|The station in its first year

Nagoya Station first opened on 1 May 1886. During the station's first year, the station was named differently with the name "名護屋 ()". On 19 July 1886, the government officially announced that the route of the Tokyo-Osaka railway wouls be changed to the Tōkaidō route. Nagoya Station was incorporated as a part of the Tōkaidō Main Line as a result. The station was surrounded by rice farms when it opened. The first station building was located 200 meters to the south of the current position, near the current Sasashima-raibu Station. The station building was wooden, with two side platforms and two tracks. The first station building collapsed from the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake, with the second station building being constructed a year later. The second station was also wooden, but was twice as large. On 6 October 2004, the West Nagoya freight branch was converted into the passenger-only Aonami Line, which terminates at the station. Station numbering was introduced to the sections of the Chuo, Kansai, and Tōkaidō Main Lines operated JR Central in March 2018; Nagoya Station was assigned station number CF00 for the Chuo Line, CJ00 for the Kansai Main Line, and CA68 for the Tōkaidō Main Line. As of 2025, the Nagoya Station is served by the Aonami Line is assigned station number AN01.

Nagoya Station is planned to be the Chūō Shinkansen's western terminus, with construction underway since 17 December 2014. The line's two island platforms and four tracks will be located 30 to 40 meters underground.

Station layout

JR Central

The six island platforms of the Tōkaidō Main Line, Chuo Line, and Kansai Line are situated in the eastern part of the station (the side where JR Central Towers are located) and serve 12 tracks. Two island platforms for the Tokaido Shinkansen are located in the western part and serve four tracks. It has since returned to use, with platform 1's operations being suspended instead. The latter is currently used for events on occasions. The Tebasaki chain Sekai No Yamachan operated a store on platform 1 for two months, in 2023. Platforms 1 to 10 have Kishimen stands, all operated by Japan Travel Service.

The JR Central Towers, which were completed in 1999 and opened in May 2000, serve as the main station building. JR Central spent approximately 200,000 million yen for the construction works. The buildings consist of twin towers with 51 and 53 floors, respectively. With a floor area of 420,000 square metres, it was once listed as the largest station building in the world by the Guinness World Records in 2002. However, the station no longer holds this record, with the "largest station building" record itself being abolished.

Aonami Line

thumb|The station platform viewed from the Midland Square, a nearby skyscraper

The northern terminus of the Aonami Line is situated to the west of the JR Central Lines, adjacent to the Sasashima-raibu Station. The elevated station has an island platform serving two tracks with platform gates.

Nagoya Municipal Subway

thumb|The Higashiyama Line platform of the station in 2017

An island platform for the Sakura-dori Line serving two tracks extends east to west under the central concourse of JR Nagoya Station. The platform is fenced with platform gates. An island platform for the Higashiyama Line serving two tracks is located south to north under underground city Meieki Chikagai (Meichika), in the east of JR Nagoya Station. The southern part of the platform is used by the trains for Fujigaoka, and the northern one by trains for Takabata.

Services

Passenger service

The JR Central-owned station is directly served by five railway lines, four limited express trains (Shinano, Nanki, Hida, Shirasagi) and an additional named rapid service, Mie. For the Aonami Line, trains service the station from 5:30 a.m. to 11:58 p.m., with intervals of 15 to 30 minutes.

Freight service

The freight-only branch used to carry goods such as coal, rice, flour, and wood materials. The line was abolished under the control of Japan Freight Railway Company on 1 April 2024. In the line's last year, just three return trips on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday used the line.

Bus service

The Nagoya City Transportation Bureau operates a bus terminal north of the JR Central Towers, which has 11 boarding spots, serving 22 routes. Outside the bus terminal, two boarding areas for the Nagoya City-operated buses are located in front of the Meitetsu Department Store. The JR Tokai Bus Company also operates highway bus services departing or arriving near the station.