Kami-Shirataki Station

Kami-Shirataki Station (上白滝駅, Kami-Shirataki-eki, lit. "Upper Shirataki") was a railway station on the Sekihoku Main Line in Engaru, Hokkaido, Japan, operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido). Opened in October 1932, the station closed in March 2016.

Kami-Shirataki Station

上白滝駅
Kami-Shirataki Station building in June 2009
LocationKamishirataki, Engaru-cho, Monbetsu-gun, Hokkaido 099-0127
Japan
Operated by Hokkaido Railway Company
Line(s)■ Sekihoku Main Line
Distance78.9 km (49.0 mi) from Shin-Asahikawa
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks1
Other information
StatusClosed
Station codeA44
History
Opened1 October 1932 (1932-10-01)
Closed25 March 2016 (2016-03-25)
Location
Kami-Shirataki Station
Location within Japan

Lines
The timetable posted at the station in December 2012, showing only 2 trains stopping each day

Kami-Shirataki Station was served by the single-track Sekihoku Main Line, lying 78.9 km (49.0 mi) from the official starting point of the line at Shin-Asahikawa. The station was numbered "A44".

By December 2012, the station was served by just one train service in each direction daily.

Station layout

The station had a single side platform serving the single-track line. The station was unstaffed, but a station structure was provided, with toilet facilities for passengers.

  • The station waiting room in December 2012
  • The station platform in June 2009

Adjacent stations
« Service »
Sekihoku Main Line
Limited Express Okhotsk: Does not stop at this station
Limited Express Taisetsu: Does not stop at this station
Limited Rapid Kitami: Does not stop at this station
Kamikawa   Local   Shirataki

History

The station opened on 1 October 1932.[1] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Hokkaido.[1]

In July 2015, JR Hokkaido announced that it would be closing the station along with three others on the line (Kyū-Shirataki Station, Shimo-Shirataki Station, and Kanehana Station) in March 2016, due to low passenger usage.[2]

In January 2016, it was reported on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV's Facebook page that the station was being kept open for the benefit of just one high-school girl who used the station to commute to and from school, and that it was scheduled to close when the girl graduated.[3] However, it was later revealed that the station in question was actually Kyū-Shirataki Station, two stops away, and there is no evidence that the timing of the closure of either station was connected with the girl's graduation.[4]

The station closed following the last day of services on 25 March 2016.[5]

Surrounding area

See also

References
  1. Ishino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR]. II. Japan: JTB. p. 918. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  2. 上白滝・旧白滝・下白滝の３駅も廃止　ＪＲ石北線、来年３月に [3 JR Sekihoku Line stations Kami-Shirataki, Kyu-Shirataki, and Shimo-Shirataki to close next March]. Doshin (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 22 July 2015. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  3. "Remote Hokkaido train station stays open for one high school girl? Perhaps not". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  4. "Japanese train service 'keeps running daily service for a single passenger'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Australia: Fairfax Media. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. 根室線花咲など８駅廃止、７９本減便　ＪＲ北海道がダイヤ改正 [JR Hokkaido introduces revised timetable - 8 stations closed and 79 services cut]. Doshin Web (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 26 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 April 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2016.

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