JR West / Umekita Phase 2 Osaka Station underground platform opens, contributing to the revitalization of the Kansai region
Memorial Ceremony
President Hasegawa
Tape cutting at the basement platform
The underground platform of JR Osaka Station opened on the 18th in "Umekita Phase 2 (Green Green Osaka)" in Kita Ward, Osaka City. In addition to holding a departure ceremony at the underground platform, JR West will hold an opening ceremony at Umekita's Grand Front Osaka with about 100 people from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, local governments, the business world, and construction companies. President Kazuaki Hasegawa said, "The project of undergrounding the branch line of the Tokaido Line and setting up an underground platform has the significance of creating a base for the railway network, a base that leads to the future, and a base for urban development. We will continue to develop the station as a near-future feeling. We will contribute to the revitalization of the surrounding area and Osaka/Kansai,” he said.
At the ceremony, Manabu Watanabe, director of the Kinki Regional Development Bureau, said, "This project will serve as the foundation for Umekita Phase 2 urban development, smoothing traffic by removing railroad crossings and improving access to Kansai International Airport. As a development bureau, it will also be internationally competitive. We have supported Osaka in the base city development project.I hope that Osaka will develop internationally and socially and economically through the development of the Naniwasuji Line and the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, as well as the development of the district.” .
Akihiko Kanai, Director of the Kinki District Transport Bureau, was also present as a guest, with Seigo Tanaka, Deputy Governor of Osaka Prefecture, delivering a congratulatory address, and Toru Takahashi, Deputy Mayor of Osaka City, reading a message from the mayor.
The underground platform (two island-style platforms) installed 10 to 15 meters underground in the central part of the east side of Umekita Phase 2 along with the undergrounding of the branch line of the Tokaido Line and the new underground ticket gates are the experimental grounds for innovation, "JR WEST LABO." ” and introduced new technology.
Introduces the latest technology, such as a facial recognition ticket gate that allows you to pass through ticket gates by registering your face image and IC card information in advance, and a guidance service in which AI answers customer questions. Underground platform No. 21 is equipped with the world's first "full-screen platform doors," which can be opened and closed according to the type of train.
The section of the underground branch line that Osaka City has implemented is about 2.4 kilometers from Fukushima 7 in Fukushima Ward to Toyosaki 6 in Kita Ward. The underground platform is maintained by JR West. Construction started in November 2015.
On the same day, the ticket gates that had been under construction at the west exit of Osaka Station also began operation.
