CF04 (JR) ST06 (Meitetsu) M12 (Nagoya Municipal Subway)
History
Opened
1 March 1906; 118 years ago (1906-03-01) (Meitetsu) 9 April 1911; 113 years ago (1911-04-09) (JR) 20 December 1876; 148 years ago (1876-12-20) (Nagoya Municipal Subway) 23 March 2001; 23 years ago (2001-03-23) (Yutorīto Line)
Ōzone Station (大曽根駅, Ōzone-eki) is a railway station in Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest transport hub in Northeastern Nagoya, connecting the JR Chuo Line, Meitetsu Seto Line, Meijo Subway Line, and Yutorito Nagoya guideway bus line. There are no internal connecting passages between the different lines which share the station, so it is necessary to exit the ticket gate and move between them outside.[1] Daily passenger numbers exceed 100,000.[2]
History
The Chuo Railway (Chuo Line) was planned in the late 1880s, with the Tajima to Nagoya section of the line opened in 1900.[3] A station was built in Chikusa, but there were no plans for a station in Ōzone. Fearing that they would miss out on commercial opportunities, the local community started a campaign to establish an Ōzone station. They negotiated with the railway, deciding the provision of land for the station, and needed embankment work.[2] As part of the negotiations, JR demanded that a private railway line be built linking Ōzone with Seto. The Seto line section from Seto to Yada opened in 1905, with the Yada to Ōzone section opening the year after in 1906.[3] Work then began on the Japan National Railway (JNR) line to Ōzone, which was opened in 1911.[2]
On April 7 1945, a bombing raid was carried out on Ōzone by 160 American B29 Bombers. The main target was the Mitsubishi Motors factory, and other factories south of the station, but Ōzone station was also destroyed in the bombing. Just before the bombing destroyed the station, there were some 100 passengers waiting in the platforms. A decision was made to send them on a special unscheduled train to Katsukawa. The train arrived safely, and all passengers were unhurt. During the bombing of the station, an air-raid shelter sheltering the 37 station attendants suffered a direct hit, and 30 of the 37 attendants were killed. A memorial monument to the 30 station attendants who were killed is located outside the South East exit of Ōzone station.[3]
The Nagoya Guideway bus features a setup similar to a train station, as the buses run on a dedicated elevated roadway with no traffic lights allowing rapid travel. The station is built over three overground levels with the second floor being the concourse, and the third floor featuring two platforms.[1]
