Tsuruga Station

Tsuruga Station (敦賀駅) is a joint-use railway station in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui, Japan, jointly operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) and Hapi-Line Fukui. The station premises are managed by JR West. It is served by the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the Hokuriku Main Line, the Obama Line and the Hapi-Line Fukui Line, all of which terminate at Tsuruga. A freight-only branch Line known as the Tsuruga Port Line operated by JR Freight formerly ran from this station.

Lines
Tsuruga Station is served by the Hokuriku Main Line and is located 45.9 km from the other terminus of the line at Maibara. Trains of the Kosei Line also continue past their nominal terminus at Ōmi-Shiotsu to terminate at this station. As of March 2024, the Hokuriku Shinkansen now serves Tsuruga and is located 574.7 km from the terminus at Tōkyō. The station is also a terminus of the 84.3 km Obama Line to Higashi-Maizuru.

Station layout
The station has three island platforms serving seven tracks. It has a "Midori no Madoguchi" staffed ticket office. The station platforms were rebuilt in December 2012, while a new station building was completed at the end of 2013. The overhead line power supply changes between 1,500 V DC and 20 kV AC (60 Hz) at this station (Hokuriku Main Line only).

History
Tsuruga Station opened on 10 March 1882. With the privatization of JNR on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR West.

Station numbering was introduced in March 2018 with Tsuruga being assigned station number JR-A01 for the Hokuriku Main Line and JR-B08 for the Kosei Line (despite the latter formally terminating at Omi-Shiotsu).

The Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Tsuruga Station effective the timetable revision on 16 March 2024. As of the same date, the Hapi-line Fukui Line began operations on the section of the Hokuriku Main Line to Daishoji formerly owned by JR West.

Future plans
From October 2014, a gauge-changing test track was scheduled to be built next to the station on the site of the former motive power depot. The 180 m long test track will be used to test an experimental variable-gauge bogie, which can be changed from to  and vice versa. The aim is to prove durability in cold and snowy conditions with a view to using the variable-gauge Gauge Change Train on through services between the standard-gauge Hokuriku Shinkansen and narrow-gauge Hokuriku Main Line in the future.

Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 3,610 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).

Surrounding area

 * Tsuruga Public Library
 * Fukui University, Tsuruga campus