On May 20, JR Hokkaido announced the outline of its plans for the renovation work currently underway at JR Sapporo Station. The entire project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of FY2029.
The Ekinka commercial facility, which will be one of the main features of the project, will expand its area by approximately 1.5 times, from approximately 1,300 m2 to approximately 2,000 m2. The number of stores will be increased from 18 to approximately 30, with the aim of opening by the end of fiscal 2027. In addition to souvenir stores, sweet stores, and delicatessen stores in Hokkaido, convenience stores and bakeries for daily use are also planned to open in the facility.
As a measure to reduce congestion, the west ticket gate will be relocated to provide a greater separation distance from the pillars outside the ticket gates to facilitate smooth passage. To further enhance the information function, the Midori-no-Madoguchi (Green Window), JR Information Desk (Foreigner’s Desk), and Hokkaido Sapporo Tourist Information Center will be located adjacent to each other. The revised arrangement of these counters and the east-west connecting passageway are scheduled to be in service by the end of FY2027, the same date as the commercial facilities.
A new waiting room with a “kamakura” motif will be built inside the ticket gates and will be in service by the fall of 2026. On the other hand, toilets outside the ticket gates will be eliminated and the number of smoking rooms inside the ticket gates will be reduced.
During FY2026, construction will begin in earnest to review the equipment layout, and from September this fall to around March 2027, the ticket gates, ticket vending machines, and Midori-no-madoguchi (green counter) on the east and west concourses will be relocated one after another.
© Source travel watch