Soga Station

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Soga station (蘇我駅, Soga-eki^?) is a train station located in Imai 2-chome, Chūō-ku, Chiba and operated by the East Japan Railway Company and the Keiyō Rinkai Railway Company.

Contents 1 Lines 2 Station Layout 2.1 Platforms 3 Usage 4 Surroundings 5 Bus Lines 6 History 7 Adjacent Stations

[edit] Lines

• JR East
  • Sotobō Line
  • Uchibō Line
  • Keiyō Line
• Keiyō Rinkai Railway Company
  • Rinkai Main Line (Freight Line)

This station is the starting point of both the Uchibō Line and the Keiyō Rinkai Railway Rinkai Main Line. Typically, however, the Uchibō continues along the Sotobō line tracks to Chiba Station. There is a direct connection between the trains of the Rinkai Main Line and the JR trains. The Keiyō Rinkai Railway is in charge of all freight operations at this station.

[edit] Station Layout

Soga is an elevated station with an elevated station building, three island platforms and a total of six passenger lines. Freight lines are located to the side of the first platform, and the Keiyō Rinkai Railway office is located to the side of these. The station is staffed with personnel from both companies. It includes a Midori no madoguchi and automatic ticket gates.

[edit] Platforms

1・2	■Uchibō Line, ■Sotobō Line(sometimes ■Keiyō Line)	Chiba・Funabashi・Kinshichō・Tokyo
	■Keiyō Line	Kaihin-Makuhari・Maihama・Shin-Kiba
5	■Uchibō Line (sometimes ■Sotobō Line)	Kisarazu・Kimitsu・Tateyama
6	■Sotobō Line (sometimes ■Uchibō Line)	Ōami・Kazusa-Ichinomiya・Katsuura

• Lines 3 and 4 are terminal lines which do not continue beyond the station.
• During morning rush hour and certain other times, it is easy to board the wrong train, since two different trains bound for Tokyo, namely the train connecting to the Sōbu Line Rapid (via Chiba, Funabashi), and the train connecting to the Keiyō Line (via Kaihin-Makuhari, Shin-Kiba) leave from the same platform.

[edit] Usage

In 2005, there were approximately 28,668 passengers per day using Soga station. This is the highest number of passengers at any station both south and east of Chiba station. Additionally, it is number 5 on the Keiyō Line (excluding Tokyo and Nishi-Funabashi stations. Soga station has a high number of passengers as it connects to both Tokyo via the Keiyō line and to the Bōsō area with the Uchibō and Sotobō Lines. If these transferring passengers were included in the usage statistics, it would be considerably higher.

[edit] Surroundings

[edit] Bus Lines

Chiba Chūō Bus

Kominato Tetsudō Bus

Askabus

Keikyū Bus (Haneda Airport Limousine Bus (same direction as the Kominato Tetsudō Bus))

[edit] History

• Jan 20, 1896 - opened as a station on the Bōsō Railway (present day Sotobō Line)
• Mar 28, 1912 - Kisarazu line is opened and Soga station becomes a transfer point to this line.
• Sep 16, 1963 - Keiyō Rinkai Railway Co. Rinkai Main Line opens.
• Apr 1, 1987 - acquired by East Japan Railway Company following the division and privatization of JNR.
• Dec 1, 1988 - Keiyō Line opens.
• Aug 29, 2004 - Station building expansion completed. Elevators, escalators, and Dila Soga open.
• Nov 30, 2005 - West exit plaza renovation completed.

[edit] Adjacent Stations

«		Service		»
Chiba-Minato		Keiyō Line		Terminus
Hon-Chiba		Sotobō Line		Kamatori
Hon-Chiba		Uchibō Line		Hamano
Terminus		Rinkai Main Line		Chiba-Kamotsu