Port Liner Sannomiya Station serves the Port Liner rapid transit service that links Sannomiya in central Kobe with Port Terminal, Port Island, and Kobe Airport.
A train approaching Port Liner Sannomiya Station
Port Liner Sannomiya Station is located on the second floor of the JR Sannomiya Station building. It can be accessed by stairs and an escalator on the south side of JR Sannomiya.
The stairs and escalator leading to Port Liner Sannomiya Station
The Port Liner station is small and very easy to find your way around. When you get to the second floor of the JR Sannomiya Station building, there is a Port Liner ticket office and information center at the top of the stairs on your left.
The Port Liner ticket office and information center
At the Port Liner ticket office you can buy commuter passes or discount tickets such as the All Day Pass, which allows one day of unlimited rides on the Port Liner and entitles the bearer to discounts and benefits at certain locations.
Passengers who wish to use the Bay Shuttle ferry service that runs between Kobe Airport and Kansai International Airport can also buy their tickets at this ticket office. A one-way set ticket that covers the fares for both the Port Liner and the Bay Shuttle costs 1,800 yen for adults or 940 yen for a child.
The Port Liner ticket machines at Sannomiya Station
Just past the ticket office are the ticket vending machines. Above the machines are a fare chart which shows all the destinations on the Port Liner’s route and the fares to each destination. There is also a timetable above the ticket machines showing all the regular departures.
The ticket machines are operated by a touch screen which has English and Japanese language options. They are very easy to use. Simply put your money in the machine and press the appropriate fare on the screen.
The ticket gates are Port Liner Sannomiya Station
The ticket gates are located beside the ticket machines.
Platform 1 at Port Liner Sannomiya Station
This station has two platforms but as Sannomiya is the northern terminal of this line all services from both platforms are southbound.
The Port Liner’s southern terminal is Kobe Airport but not all trains run as far as Kobe Airport. Some trains only run as far as Keisan Kagaku Station on the Port Liner’s main line and some trains run as far as Naka Futo Station or Kita Futo Station on the Port Liner’s loop line before heading back to Sannomiya.
Departure information on Platform 2
Departure information is shown in English and Japanese on digital signs both at the ticket gates and at the platforms.
Open platform screen doors at Port Liner Sannomiya Station
The platforms have screen doors that only open after a train has arrived.
A route map above the screen doors
There are also route maps above the screen doors that show all the destinations on the Port Liner’s route.
Key Destinations
Port Terminal Station is the stop for international cruises and local ferry services.
Shimin Hiroba Station is the stop for the luxury hotel, Kobe Portopia Hotel.
Keisan Kagaku Center Station is the stop for the Kobe Animal Kingdom flower park and zoo.
Kobe Airport Station is the stop for Kobe Airport which handles domestic flights to locations such as Tokyo, Sapporo, Sendai, Izumo, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, and Okinawa. This is also the stop for the Bay Shuttle ferry service, which runs from Kobe Airport to Osaka’s Kansai International Airport in just 30 minutes.
For more detailed information on see our full guide to the Port Liner.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved.
