Shijo Station (Keihan Electric Railway) (四条駅 (京阪))
Shijo Station, located in 1 Miyagawasuji, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a stop on the Keihan Main Line, which is operated by Keihan Electric Railway.
The station's platforms employ yellow as their official color. This represents 'color code 4,' indicating the resistance of a resistor.
The facility was to be renamed "Gion-shijo Station" as the Keihan Nakanoshima Line opens to traffic on October 19, 2008.
Station layout
It is an underground station having an island platform with two tracks. It's located immediately below the intersection of Kawabata-dori Street and Shijo-dori Street, at Shijo-Ohashi Higashizume (eastern end of Shijo-ohashi Bridge).
The ticket gate and the concourse are located on the first basement level, while the platforms are on the second basement level. There are two ticket gates: the north gate and the south gate.
A disabled-accessible elevator is available between the floor level, where the platforms are located, and the concourse, which interconnects the north edge of the platforms and the north ticket gate. The section between the concourse and the ground level connects the east side of the station office on the concourse and the bus stop on the north (across the street from the main entrance of Minamiza Theatre), which is located on the east end of the intersection of Kawabata-dori and Shijo-dori streets.
Although the disabled-accessible elevator is located near the north ticket gate, the disabled-accessible bathroom is located at the back of the south ticket gate, so the layout invites confusion.
There are two escalators in the south ticket gate--one up and one down--and other two up escalators connecting the concourse and the ground level, which take people to the northwest corner of the intersection of Kawabata-dori and Shijo-dori streets.
Platforms
* Both platforms can support up to eight cars. An automatic announcement indicating the number of cars is available only on Platform 2.
Station surroundings
Downtown Gion is east of the station. Minamiza Theater faces the intersection of Kawabata-dori and Shijo-dori streets, and people can reach the stone steps of Yasaka-jinja Shrine by going east on Shijo-dori Street. Continuing eastward, one will reach Maruyama Park (Kyoto Prefecture) and Chion-in Temple.
Exiting from the south ticket gate and going east on Donguri-dori Street, one will reach Kennin-ji Temple, the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo theater and WINS Kyoto (an off-track betting booth for horse races).
The Kamo-gawa River (Yodo-gawa River system) runs just west of the station, and Shijo-ohashi Bridge crosses the river in front of the station exit. The area on the opposite side of the river, across the bridge, is Shijo Kawaramachi.
Hankyu Hanshin Department Store
Takashimaya
Kawaramachi OPA
To transfer trains to Kawaramachi Station (Kyoto Prefecture) on the Hankyu Kyoto Line, it's necessary to go up to the ground level, cross Shijo-ohashi Bridge and then descend to the underground station of the Hankyu Railway. Although there is no shared announcement of transfer, many passengers make train transfers, so both Kawaramachi Station (Kyoto Prefecture) of the Hankyu Railway and Shijo Station (Keihan Electric Railway) have recently begun posting their mutual time schedules along the access routes.
Bus stops
Shijo Keihan-mae (front of Shijo Keihan)
It's located at Shijo-Ohashi Higashizume (at the intersection of Kawabata-dori and Shijo-dori streets).
Kyoto City Bus
Kyoto Bus
Keihan Bus
For Yamashina, Oyake, Daigo and Keihan Rokujizo
For Sanjo Keihan, Shijo Kawaramachi, Shijo Karasuma and Shijo Omiya
Many bus services are available from the Shijo Kawaramachi bus stop, which is a few minutes' walk from the station.
History
October 27, 1915: It started as a station of the old Keihan Electric Railway. It has crossed the Kyoto City Trams Shijo Line at grade since the start of its operation.
April 1, 1916: The old limited express (discontinued on June 1, 1916) and express trains started making stops at this station.
June 29, 1935: The station facilities, including the platforms, were badly damaged by the Kamo-gawa River flood disaster.
In this flood disaster, debris of the collapsed Sanjo-ohashi Bridge, which was carried from the upstream, was caught on the Shijo-ohashi Bridge made of reinforced concrete and held back water, and accordingly, the overflowed water spread from Shijo Station to the water channels, resulting in heavy damage. After the disaster, a plan in which the Keihan Line should be taken underground in order to broaden the Kamo-gawa River was formulated as a countermeasure against flooding.
October 1, 1943: Due to the merger with Hanshin Electric Express Railway, the station became under the control of Hankyu Corporation.
December 1, 1949: Consequent upon the company's disposal of assets, the station came under control of Keihan Electric Railway.
September 1, 1950: Limited express trains started making stops at this station.
January 23, 1972: As the Kyoto City Trams Shijo Line (Gion - Shijo Omiya) was discontinued, the crossing-at-grade disappeared.
November 1982: With the construction to take the station underground, the platform for Osaka was moved from the north side to the south side of Shijo-dori Street.
May 24, 1987: The construction to take the station underground was completed.
Because the station was now underground, the Shijo-dori Street railway crossing, which had no crossing gate, set a significant record of "no collision or accident between trains and pedestrians for 71 years and six months" over the period from 1915 to 1987.
September 1, 1988: A total ban on smoking went into effect.
October 21, 1992: Fare-adjustment machines were installed for the first time among the stations of the Keihan Electric Railway.
March 11, 1996: Platform emergency systems were installed at 16 points.
Fall 2008: Shijo Station would be renamed as Gion-shijo Station.
Adjacent stations
Keihan Electric Railway
Keihan Main Line
K-Limited Express/Limited Express
Shichijo Station - Shijo Station - Sanjo Station (Kyoto Prefecture)
Express/Sub-express/Local
Kiyomizu-gojo Station - Shijo Station - Sanjo Station