Kanazawa Station

Kanazawa Station (金沢駅, Kanazawa-eki) is a major railway station in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West), the private railway operator Hokuriku Railroad, and the third-sector operator IR Ishikawa Railway.

Beneath a square in front of the JR station is Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station, the terminal of the Hokuriku Railroad Asanogawa Line.

Lines

West Japan Railway Company (JR West):
- Hokuriku Shinkansen
IR Ishikawa Railway
- IR Ishikawa Railway Line (including JR West's Nanao Line through trains)
Hokuriku Railroad (Hokutetsu):
- Asanogawa Line (Hokutetsu-Kanazawa Station)

Station layout

IR Ishikawa Railway platforms

IR Ishikawa Railway platforms are elevated above street level, featuring three island platforms with one cut-out platform (for Track 4) on the Up (Toyama) side of the middle island platform, serving seven tracks in total. A large roof covers the station building, in order to prevent train stoppages due to accumulated snow within the station.

JR (Hokuriku Shinkansen) platforms

The Hokuriku Shinkansen platforms are adjacent to the east exit, between the Motenashi Dome and the IR Ishikawa Railway tracks. The Shinkansen station has two island platforms serving four tracks.

The departure melody used on the Hokuriku Shinkansen platforms was composed by songwriter and producer Yasutaka Nakata, who was born in Kanazawa.

Hokutetsu platforms

The platforms for the Hokutetsu Asanogawa Line are located underground, below the JR West platforms.

Adjacent stations

History

The station opened on 1 April 1898. With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR West. The platforms for the Hokuriku Shinkansen opened on 14 March 2015.

From 14 March 2015, with the opening of the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Nagano, local passenger operations over sections of the Hokuriku Main Line running roughly parallel to the new shinkansen line were reassigned to different third-sector railway operating companies. From this date, Kanazawa Station became the western terminus of the IR Ishikawa Railway Line of Ishikawa Prefecture.

At the timetable revision effective 16 March 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen extended between Kanazawa and Tsuruga. All Thunderbird and Shirasagi limited express services were discontinued between Tsuruga and Kanazawa Stations. From the same date, the Hokuriku Main Line between Daishoji Station and Kanazawa Station was reorganized as the IR Ishikawa Railway Line, thus the former Hokuriku Main Line section of the station became exclusively used for the IR Ishikawa Railway Line including some through trains to the Nanao Line.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2016, the JR West portion of the station (including the conventional line section later removed from the JR West operation) was used by an average of 22,668 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).

Surrounding area

East exit

Kanazawa Station Bus Terminal
Kanazawa Miyako Hotel
Hotel Nikko Kanazawa
Kanazawa Art Hall
ANA Crowne Plaza Kanazawa
Ishikawa Ongakudō

West exit

JR Kanazawa Station West Building
- Via Inn Kanazawa
Kanazawa Manten Hotel
Kanazawa Water and Energy Center

Bus services

The bus terminals are located in both side of station. Almost all services to central Kanazawa including Kanazawa Loop Bus depart from east terminal, however some lines such as City Liner depart from west terminal. Most expressway bus stop was in east terminal but moved to west terminal in July 2023.

Expressway Bus

Hokuriku-do Highway Bus for Nagoya (Jointly operated by Hokuriku Railroad, Meitetsu Bus, West Japan JR Bus and JR Tokai Bus)
For Nagoya via Shirakawa-go (Jointly operated by Hokuriku Railroad and Meitetsu Bus)
For Kyoto and Osaka (Operated by West Japan JR Bus)
For Sendai (Operated by JR Bus Tohoku)
For Niigata (Jointly operated by Hokuriku Railroad and Niigata Kotsu)
For Shirakawa-go and Takayama (Jointly operated by Hokuriku Railroad and Nohi Bus)
For Komatsu Airport (Operated by Hokuriku Railroad)
For Wajima (Operated by Hokutetsu Okunoto Bus)
For Suzu (Operated by Hokutetsu Okunoto Bus)
Kimasshi-go for Tokyo (Operated by Kitanippon Kanko Bus)
For Kyoto and Osaka (Jointly operated by Kitanippon Kanko Bus and Kintetsu Bus)