Gala-Yuzawa Station

Gala-Yuzawa Station ガーラ湯沢駅
The station exterior in March 2012
General information
Location	Yuzawa, Yuzawa-machi, Minamiuonuma-gun, Niigata-ken 949-6101 Japan
Coordinates	36.950483°N 138.799478°E / 36.950483; 138.799478
Operated by	JR East
Line(s)	Gala-Yuzawa Line
Distance	1.8 km (1.1 mi) from Echigo-Yuzawa
Platforms	1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Structure type	At grade
Other information
Status	Staffed ("Midori no Madoguchi" )
Website	Official website
History
Opened	20 December 1990 (1990-12-20)
Passengers
1,029 per day (FY2017)
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station Echigo-Yuzawa towards Tokyo Jōetsu Shinkansen Tanigawa Terminus
Location Gala-Yuzawa Station Location within Japan

Gala-Yuzawa Station (ガーラ湯沢駅, Gāra-yuzawa-eki) is a seasonal railway station on the Gala-Yuzawa Line in the town of Yuzawa, Niigata, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East).

Lines

The station is served by the Gala-Yuzawa Line from Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and forms the only station on this 1.8 km branch line. Services are classed as "Limited express", although they are actually extensions of Jōetsu Shinkansen Tanigawa services travelling to/from Tokyo Station. The station is open to passengers only during the winter ski season, usually from mid-December until early May.[1]

Services

All services on the line are Joetsu Shinkansen Tanigawa services operating to/from Tokyo, and only operate during the winter ski season.

As of December 2024^[update], there are generally between 10 and 13 departures per day, with some trips operating only on weekends or on particular dates.[2][3] Selected weekend-only trips may terminate at Ueno instead of Tokyo.[3]

Adult fares range between ¥250 for Echigo-Yuzawa and ¥7,220 for Tokyo.

Travel time to Tokyo Station is between 1 hour 17 minutes and 1 hour 37 minutes.

For travel outside train departure times during the winter ski season, free shuttle buses are available to/from Echigo-Yuzawa Station,[4] where Shinkansen and train services are available.

Layout

The station consists of an island platform serving two tracks.[5] The station has a "Midori no Madoguchi" staffed ticket counter, ticket machines and automatic ticket gates.

The station entrance/exit is located inside the Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort main building.[6] Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort is owned by the JR East Group.[7]

Platforms

1-2

■ Gala Yuzawa Line

for Echigo-Yuzawa, Omiya, and Tokyo

• 
  Ticket counter and ticket machines, December 2022
• 
  Ticket Gates, December 2022
• 
  Platform, March 2010
• 
  Platform, underneath Ski Resort main building, March 2023

History

The station opened on 20 December 1990.[5]

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2017, the JR portion of the station was used by an average of 1,029 passengers daily (boarding passengers only).[8] The passenger figures for previous years are as shown below.

Fiscal year	Daily average
2000	907[9]
2005	987[10]
2010	941[11]
2015	1,127[12]

Surrounding area

The Gala Yuzawa ski resort

The station adjoins the Gala Yuzawa ski resort.

See also

• List of railway stations in Japan

References

1. "リフト料金・営業時間". ガーラ湯沢スキー場(新潟県湯沢町)｜GALA YUZAWA (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
2. ">GALA Yuzawa(Seasonal) Station Timetable（Joetsu Shinkansen） (JR East)". Official Web site of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
3. ">GALA Yuzawa(Seasonal) Station Timetable（Joetsu Shinkansen） (JR East)". Official Web site of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
4. "アクセス". ガーラ湯沢スキー場(新潟県湯沢町)｜GALA YUZAWA (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
5. "新幹線なのに在来線". Japan Railfan Magazine. Vol. 40, no. 467. Japan: Kōyūsha Co., Ltd. March 2000. pp. 66–67.
6. "Gala Yuzawa Station · 1039-2 Yuzawa, Minamiuonuma District, Niigata 949-6101, Japan". Google Maps. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
7. "Advancement of the JR EAST Group's Inbound Strategy" (PDF). East Japan Railway Company. 2 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
8. 各駅の乗車人員 (2017年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2017)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
9. 各駅の乗車人員 (2000年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2000)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2001. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
10. 各駅の乗車人員 (2005年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2006. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
11. 各駅の乗車人員 (2010年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2010)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2011. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
12. 各駅の乗車人員 (2015年度) [Station passenger figures (Fiscal 2015)] (in Japanese). Japan: East Japan Railway Company. 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.

External links

• JR East station information (in Japanese)
• Gala Yuzawa Snow Resort website (in English)