Doshishamae Station (同志社前駅)
Doshishamae Station, located in Miyamaki Kakinouchi, Kyotanabe City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Katamachi Line of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
As indicated by its name, the station is the one nearest to the Kyotanabe Campus of The Doshisha (Doshisha University, Kyotanabe Campus, Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe Campus, and Doshisha International Junior & Senior High School). Upon leaving the exit gate, a ten-minute walk on a road directly uphill takes you to the main gate of Doshisha University and that of Doshisha International Senior High School, or in three minutes to the main gate of Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts. This station started its operation when Doshisha's Tanabe Campus (the current Kyotanabe Campus) opened. In the era of Japan National Railways (JNR), it was the first station to incorporate the name of a school or campus into its own.
Station layout
The station is located on the ground level, with two platforms and a track for each of them. With no bridge across the railroads provided, a crossing within the premises must be used to make a change between Platform 1 and Platform 2.
In this station, ICOCA/J-through cards can be used, and Suica, TOICA and PiTaPa (SURUTTO KANSAI ASSOCIATION), which are mutually usable with ICOCA, can also be used. However, with simplified gate-passing check machines used in this station, an officer at the station must be informed when more than one J-through card must be handled. Four of these simplified gate-passing check machines are installed at the entrance/exit gates to facilitate the gate-passing operation during the hours when students go to or return from their schools.
Some users of the station are of the opinion that the premises aren't spacious enough and want to know when seven-car operations will be introduced, as the current operations are inefficient because three cars of a seven-car train coming from Kyobashi Station are separated at Kyotanabe Station, the last stop before Doshishamae Station, and therefore, when the train is bound for Doshishamae, the train is operated in a four-car configuration in the last run between Kyotanabe Station and Doshishamae Station). In fact, in the derailing accident that occurred on the JR Fukuchiyama Line, many of the causalities were in the first four cars of the train, which was bound for Doshishamae Station, and naturally the casualties included many students of Doshisha University; therefore, Doshisha University included in the requests to JR West the extension of the platforms of this station, in addition to compensation for the victims and the bereaved families, clarification of the accident's causes thorough countermeasures to ensure safety.
Although the relationships in the above description aren't clear, JR West announced that the platforms in each of the stations between Kizu Station (Kyoto Prefecture) and Doshishamae Station would be extended to enable seven-car train operation even between Nara/Kizu and Kyotanabe, with a completion target of March 2010 (the end of fiscal year 2009). The use of Platform 2, which is employed only for the returning trains, will be stopped.
Initially, the retired cars of JNR/JR Limited Express (Electric Cars) Series 583, which were used mainly as sleeper trains, were employed for the station house. However, since users of the station increased and it became necessary to expand the widths of the platforms, Kyotanabe City, JR West and Doshisha University decided to rebuild the station and station house in the image of Doshisha University's Kyotanabe Campus, which was completed in 2005.
The operation of this station is entrusted to JR West Kotsu Service.
Some of the rapid trains and regional rapid trains return to this station (it is set so that the operation of the inbound rapid trains provide service up to this station).
The track on the Kizu side of Platform 2 terminates in this station, and the platform is exclusively for trains arriving and returning from there; currently, however, almost all the returning trains use Platform 1 as well. Only when the train operation schedule is disrupted Platform 2 used, even during the daytime. During the daytime, when the platform isn't used, a chain is installed to prevent access to Platform 2.
Station surroundings
Kodo Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line
Doshisha University, Kyotanabe Campus, and Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts, Kyotanabe Campus
Doshisha International Junior & Senior High School
LAWSON's Tanabe-Doshisha-mae-ten shop
Yawata Kizu Line of the Kyoto Prefectural Route 22
Passenger use
In fiscal year 2006, each day approximately 4,904 people boarded at this station.
(According to the Kyoto Prefecture Statistics Report)
The trains are used mostly by students, and occasionally one will find that all the passenger seats of a train are occupied.
History
April 1, 1986: It went into operation. Initially, the station was structured in a straight line with a single platform serving a track.
April 1, 1987: Due to the division and privatization of JNR, it became a facility of the West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
January 29, 2005: The new station house came into use.
January 26, 2007: The services of the JR Ticket Office "Midori-no-madoguchi" started. Until then, no station officer was stationed during the period of late night through early morning, but now there is always an officer on duty.
Adjacent stations
West Japan Railway Company (JR West)
Gakkentoshi Line (Katamachi Line)
Rapid/Regional Rapid/Local (inbound regional rapid trains operate up to this station)
JR Miyamaki Station - Doshishamae Station - Kyotanabe Station