The operation of the new platform completed in the basement of the "Umekita" area on the north side of JR Osaka Station began on the 18th, and a departure ceremony was held.
Limited express trains heading to Kansai Airport stop at this platform, which is expected to improve access to the airport.
Operation began on a new platform at Osaka Station, which JR West Japan has been constructing underground in the Umekita area.
The Haruka Limited Express connecting Kansai Airport and the Kuroshio Limited Express connecting to Wakayama will serve here, and the travel time between Osaka Station and Kansai Airport will be reduced by up to 20 minutes.
In addition, since the conventional line "Osaka East Line" will also be used, it is expected to improve access to Nara.
On the new platform, a departure ceremony was held in the morning with JR West Japan officials in attendance, and the limited express "Haruka" departed for Kansai Airport with the signal of the station master.
In addition, platform doors that can accommodate trains with different door positions, such as limited express trains and conventional lines, and ticket gates that can pass through with face recognition have been introduced on this platform, and it is positioned as a "testing ground for innovation."
Hiroyuki Watanabe, station manager of JR West Japan, said, "A new gateway to Osaka has been born, and in addition to improving convenience by entering limited express trains, there are also gimmicks that make use of technology, so I hope that many people will use it."
Railway fans: "Excited about the near future"
Many railway fans visited the new platform, which began operation, early in the morning to take pictures and ride the train.
An 18-year-old man visiting from Katano City, Osaka, said, "I was excited because the new home has a sense of the near future.
A 60-year-old man from Osaka City said, "I never imagined that what used to be a freight yard would become a station like this. I want the station to be easy for everyone to use."