The station is served by the Karatsu Line and is located 20.8 km from the starting point of the line at Kubota.[3]
Station layout
The station consists of two side platforms serving two tracks. Two sidings branch off the main tracks. The station building is of timber construction and is unstaffed, serving only as a waiting room. Access to the opposite side platform is by means of a footbridge.[2][3]
A view of the platforms and tracks. the sidings can be seen behind the footbridge to the left.
History
On 1 December 1898, the Karatsu Kogyo Railway had opened a track from Miyoken (now Nishi-Karatsu) to Yamamoto. On 13 June 1899, the track was extended to Kyūragi which became the new eastern terminus. On 25 December 1899, Kyūragi became a through-station when the track was extended further east to Azamibaru (now Taku). On 23 February 1902, the company, now renamed the Karatsu Railway, merged with the Kyushu Railway. On 1 November 1903, the station was renamed Iwaya. When the Kyushu Railway was nationalized on 1 July 1907, Japanese Government Railways (JGR) took over control of the station. On 12 October 1909, the line which served the station was designated the Karatsu Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, control of the station passed to JR Kyushu.[4][5]
Passenger statistics
In fiscal 2016, the station was used by an average of 238 passengers daily (boarding passengers only), and it ranked 298th among the busiest stations of JR Kyushu.[6]