The platform of Takedao Station in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, is 10 meters above the ground. Half of the platform is in a tunnel.
14:10 JST, July 13, 2024
TAKARAZUKA, Hyogo — Takedao Station, known as a “remote station” among train enthusiasts in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, will finally get two elevators, fulfilling a long-cherished wish of local residents. Construction is scheduled to be completed in four years.
The station on the JR Fukuchiyama Line is about a 10-minute train ride from Takarazuka Station. Passengers must climb about 50 steps to get from the ticket gate on the second floor to the platform on the third floor.
Locals have long requested elevators at the station, not only because the community is getting older, but also for the convenience of travelers. There are many tourist attractions around the station, such as the Takedao Hot Spring, dahlia and peony gardens, and the track of the now-defunct Fukuchiyama Line of the Japanese National Railway, which is popular with walkers.
According to the Takarazuka city government, the station was used by 988 passengers per day in fiscal 2022, which was not enough for the West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) to install elevators itself. Therefore, the cost of the two new elevators will not be borne by JR West, but by the local government and other agencies.
Locals are happy that the elevators will finally be there in the near future. They have seen foreign tourists with heavy suitcases descending the stairs and wheelchair users visiting the area by taxi from Takarazuka station.
