History
Ibaraki Station opened on 9 August 1876, less than two weeks after the government railway between Mukōmachi (now Mukomachi) and Osaka began operating. It was added to that segment together with Yamazaki and Suita as the first three infill stations. The line was redesignated the Tōkaidō Line in 1895 (Tōkaidō Main Line from 1909). The current third-generation bridge-style station building dates from 1 October 1969. Rapid services began stopping during the 1970 Osaka World Expo and continued permanently after public demand; freight handling ended in 1986. JR West took over at privatisation on 1 April 1987, and station numbering JR-A41 was introduced in March 2018 alongside the opening of neighbouring JR-Sōjiji Station.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
Among all stations where the new Shinkaisoku ("special rapid") trains pass without stopping, Ibaraki has the highest ridership — a feature local boosters have unsuccessfully campaigned to change for decades.