Sendai Station (Miyagi)

Sendai Station (仙台駅, Sendai-eki) is a major junction railway station in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan. It is a stop for all Akita, Hokkaido, and Tohoku Shinkansen trains, the eastern terminus for the Senzan Line, and major stop on both the Tohoku Main Line and Senseki Line. It is located on the border between Miyagino and Aoba Wards in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.

N10 T07
Sendai Station

仙台駅
The west side of Sendai Station in August 2023
General information
Location1 Chuo, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi-ken
Japan
Operated by
Line(s)
  • The symbol for the Tohoku Shinkansen run by JR East. Tōhoku Shinkansen
  • The symbol for the Akita Shinkansen run by JR East. Akita Shinkansen
  •      Tōhoku Main Line
  •      Senzan Line
  •      Senseki Line
  • Senseki-Tohoku Line
  •      Jōban Line
  •      Sendai Airport Line
  •      Namboku Line
  •      Tōzai Line
ConnectionsBus interchange Bus terminal
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
StatusStaffed
Station codeN10 (Namboku Line)
T07 (Tozai Line)
History
Opened15 December 1887; 136 years ago (1887-12-15)
Passengers
FY201891,278 daily (JR East)
55,614 daily (Sendai Subway)
Services
Preceding station Logo of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) JR East Following station
Ōmiya
towards Tokyo
Tōhoku Shinkansen Furukawa
towards Shin-Aomori
Shiroishi-Zaō
towards Tokyo
Tōhoku Shinkansen Furukawa
towards Morioka
Ōmiya
towards Tokyo
Akita Shinkansen Morioka
towards Akita
Nagamachi
towards Fukushima
Tōhoku Main Line
Rapid City Rabbit
Terminus
Nagamachi
towards Kuroiso
Tōhoku Main Line
Local
Higashi-Sendai
towards Morioka
Iwanuma
towards Shinagawa
Hitachi Terminus
Nagamachi
towards Shinagawa
Jōban Line
Local-Futsuu
Kita-Sendai
towards Yamagata
Senzan Line
Rapid A B
Toshogu
towards Yamagata
Senzan Line
Rapid C
Local
Terminus Senseki-Tōhoku Line
Special Rapid
Shiogama
towards Onagawa
Senseki-Tōhoku Line
Rapid
Shiogama
towards Ishinomaki
Senseki-Tōhoku Line
Rapid
Higashi-Sendai
towards Ishinomaki
Aoba-dori
Terminus
Senseki Line Tsutsujigaoka
towards Ishinomaki
Preceding station The logo of the Sendai City Subway. Sendai Subway Following station
Itsutsubashi
N11
towards Tomizawa
Namboku Line Hirose-dori
N09
towards Izumi-Chūō
Aoba-dori Ichibancho
T06
Tōzai Line Miyagino-dori
T08
towards Arai
Preceding station Sendai Airport Transit Following station
Natori Sendai Airport Line
Rapid
Terminus
Nagamachi Sendai Airport Line
Local
Location
Sendai station is located in Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai station
Sendai station
Location within Miyagi Prefecture
Sendai station is located in Japan
Sendai station
Sendai station
Sendai station (Japan)

Lines edit

Sendai Station is served by services operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Sendai Airport Transit, and Sendai Subway. The station is served by the following lines.

JR East edit

Sendai Airport Transit edit

Sendai Subway edit

Station layout edit

 
Senseki Line underground platforms

JR East edit

Although the main JR train station and the subway station are physically separate, there are underground passageways connecting the two. The main Sendai Station is above-ground, and is a hub for JR East containing both the Tohoku and Akita Shinkansen lines and several other local lines. The above-ground portion of Sendai Station lies in Aoba-ku, and is situated so that tracks run roughly north–south. In the station's easternmost section, underground and across the ward border in Miyagino-ku, is the platform for the east–west Senseki Line. Originally, this platform was also above ground; but in 2000, the line was extended to Aoba-dōri to the west, and the line was re-routed underground beneath the rest of the station.

Platforms edit

On the ground level, there are 4 platforms serving 8 tracks. On the 2nd basement, there is an island platform with 2 tracks for the Senseki Line. On the 3rd floor, there is 2 platforms serving 4 tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen line.

Platform No Line Name Direction Notes
Conventional Line - Ground Level Platforms
1・2 Tohoku Main Line for IwakiriRifuShiogamaKogota
Senseki Tohoku Line for Ishinomaki
3 Tohoku Main Line IwanumaShiroishiFukushima First train from this station departs from here
  Sendai Airport Line for Sendai Airport
4 Senseki Tohoku Line for Ishinomaki
Tohoku Main Line for Iwakiri・Rifu・Shiogama・Kogota
for Iwanuma・Shiroishi・Fukushima
Joban Line for WatariSomaHaranomachi
  Sendai Airport Line for Sendai Airport
5 Senseki Tohoku Line for Ishinomaki
Tohoku Main Line for Iwanuma・Shiroishi・Fukushima
Joban Line for Watari・Soma・Haranomachi
6 Tohoku Main Line for Iwanuma・Shiroishi・Fukushima
Joban Line for Watari・Soma・Haranomachi
7・8 Senzan Line for AyashiSakunamiYamagata
Senseki Line Underground Platform
9 Senseki Line for Aoba-dōri
10 for Matsushima Kaigan・Ishinomaki
Shinkansen Elevated Platform
11・12   Tōhoku Shinkansen  Hokkaido Shinkansen for IchinosekiMoriokaShin AomoriShin Hakodate Hokuto
  Akita Shinkansen for KakunodateOmagari StationAkita
  Tōhoku Shinkansen for Fukushima・KoriyamaUtsunomiyaOmiyaTokyo First train from this station departs from here
13・14

Sendai Subway edit

The Sendai Subway lies to the west, and can be accessed from the main station via underground passageways at both ends of the station. The platform for the subway at Sendai Station is actually closer to Aoba-dōri Station than the other JR lines in Sendai Station. In fact, there is a transfer-only gate between the subway and Senseki Line platform at Aoba-dōri Station.

Platforms edit

The Namboku Line platforms are located on the third basement ("B3F") level, and the Tozai Line platforms are located on the fourth basement ("B4F") level.
B3F

1  Namboku Line (Sendai) for Tomizawa
2  Namboku Line for Izumi-Chūō

B4F

3  Tozai Line for Arai
4  Tozai Line for Yagiyama Zoological Park

History edit

The station first opened on 15 December 1887.[1]

On October 9, 2023, an accidental chemical spill on a Tohoku Shinkansen train was reported to have stopped at the station.[2] The incident was investigated by firefighters from the Sendai City Fire Department.[2]

Passenger statistics edit

In fiscal 2018, the JR East station was used by an average of 91,278 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), making it the busiest JR East station outside the Greater Tokyo Area. It is also the busiest JR East station in Miyagi Prefecture and the 50th-busiest on the JR East network as a whole.[3] In fiscal 2018, the Sendai Subway portion of the station was used by an average of 55,614 passengers daily.[4]

The JR East passenger figures (boarding passengers only) for previous years are as shown below.

Fiscal year Daily average
1913 1,628[5]
1960 43,089[5]
1971 58,799[5]
1984 64,634[5]
2000 78,195[6]
2005 76,723[7]
2010 74,672[8]
2015 84,964[9]

Surrounding area edit

West (main) exit edit

 
West exit view

The area outside the west exit of Sendai Station is the traditional center of activity around the station. This is because the area is closer to the central business district of Sendai, which initially developed around Sendai Castle.

The area is home to some of the largest department stores in Sendai. The S-Pal department store and the Station are directly connected to each other. A large elevated walkway outside the exit provides access to other department stores, such as the Loft Department Store, Sakurano Department Store, the Jujiya Co. Sendai Store, and EBeanS. EbeanS is home to Junkudo Sendai, the largest bookstore in the Tohoku Region. The AER Building, a large office building built through recent redevelopment, is also located in the area and is home to various offices and stores, such as Maruzen, another large bookstore.

The area around the Asaichi-dori street, next to EBeanS, is known as the Sendai Asaichi (Sendai morning Market), although stores are open all day long. The Asaichi is home to a wide variety of small stores that mainly sell Japanese foods.

The Sendai Metropolitan Hotel can be directly accessed via the elevated walkway and is extremely convenient for visitors unfamiliar with the area. The entrance to Sendai's largest shopping malls, such as the Clis Road Shopping District and the Ichibancho Shopping District, are located close to the exit of the elevated walkway, and a bus exchange area and taxi pool can be found under the walkway.

East exit edit

The area outside the east exit of Sendai Station is the "new" side of the station. It traditionally had a smaller concentration of businesses compared to the west side. That the area was not damaged by World War II bombing also delayed development in the area.

The municipal government decided to conduct redevelopment in the area in 1960. The redevelopment project is still in progress, but the area has already been largely renovated with a new bus exchange area and taxi pool. The Yodobashi Camera Sendai Store, one of the largest electronics retailers in Sendai, is located right outside the east exit and BiVi Sendai, a department store, is located close by. The east side of the station is close to many entertainment venues, such as Beeb Sendai and Sendai Sunplaza. Miyagi Baseball Stadium is within walking distance.

References edit

  1. ^ Sendai Station information. East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved on 13 August 2008. (in Japanese)
  2. ^ a b https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20231009/k10014219851000.html
  3. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2018年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2018)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  4. ^ 仙台市地下鉄 駅別乗車人員の推移 [Sendai city underground station passenger statistics] (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan: Sendai city. 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d 日本国有鉄道停車場一覧 [JNR Station Directory]. Japan: Japanese National Railways. 1985. p. 480. ISBN 4-533-00503-9.
  6. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2000年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2000)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  7. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2005年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  8. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2010年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2010)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
  9. ^ 各駅の乗車人員 (2015年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2015)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

External links edit

  Media related to Sendai Station (Miyagi) at Wikimedia Commons

Official website (in Japanese)
Official website (Sendai Subway) (in Japanese)

38°15′37″N 140°52′55″E / 38.26028°N 140.88194°E / 38.26028; 140.88194