Shimonuma Station (下沼駅, Shimonuma-eki) is a railway station located within the boundaries of the town of Horonobe, Teshio District, Hokkaidō, Japan. The area surrounding the station is a forested area off National Route 40.[1] The station is operated by JR Hokkaido.[2] The station is numbered "W73".
W73 Shimonuma Station 下沼駅  | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| regional rail | |||||||||||
 Shimonuma Station building in September 2021 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Shimonuma, Horonobe-cho, Teshio-gun, Hokkaido 098-3228 Japan | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 45°2′13.5″N 141°45′29″E / 45.037083°N 141.75806°E | ||||||||||
| Operated by |  JR Hokkaido | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Sōya Main Line | ||||||||||
| Distance | 207.2 km (128.7 mi) from Asahikawa | ||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||
| Structure type | At grade | ||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||
| Status | Unstaffed | ||||||||||
| Station code | W73 | ||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 25 September 1926 | ||||||||||
| Rebuilt | 1985 | ||||||||||
| Passengers | |||||||||||
| 2022 | >1 daily | ||||||||||
| Services | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Lines
editThe station is served by the Sōya Main Line and is located 207.2 km from the starting point of the line at Asahikawa.[2]Only local trains serve the station.[3] Only local trains stop at this station.[4]
Station layout
editThe station has a single side platform serving a single side track. The current station building is a re-purposed JNR Yo3500 caboose parked on the foundations of the original wooden station building.
The original layout of the station prior to its conversion to a freight car station was two tracks served by a single raised platform between the two tracks.[5]
History
editShimonuma Station opened on 25 September 1926 with the extension of the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) Teshio Line between Horonobe Station and Kabutonuma Station.[4] On April 1, 1930 the Teshio Line was incorporated into the Sōya Main Line. The original station was a staffed wooden station building, but it became an unstaffed station in 1984. The wooden station was then demolished and converted into a freight car station in 1985.[5] With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Hokkaido.[4]
In September 2016, after conducting a five year passenger survey from 2011-2015,[5] JR Hokkaido announced that it intended to close the station along with two other unstaffed stations on the line (Minami-Horonobe and Nukanan) due to low passenger usage. The intended closure date was March 2017.[6] However, this move was strongly opposed by the mayor and residents of Horonobe town, which formed a “my station campaign” to oppose the closure.[5]
The town announced that it would assume management of the station out of its own funds to prevent closure, covering the necessary maintenance costs. The metal walls of the freight car making up the body of the station had seriously corroded, and the town paid to stabilise and repaint them between June and August 2017.[5] During the refurbishment they added the painted image of “Numahikyon”, an image character chosen by the townsfolk through a public contest to create a character based on the theme “The Yokai who lives in the station”. Numahikyon’s head is a representation of the station building, which a simple black body, arms and legs.[1]
The town hoped that the station could develop the areas tourism potential and serve "as a gateway to tourist resources such as the Sarobetsu Marsh".[7]
This initiative has proven successful, with an increase in passenger numbers including tourists visiting the station itself.[5]
Passenger statistics
editIn fiscal 2015, the station was used on average by less than one passenger daily.[6] The figures as of 2021 are roughly 0.4 passengers a day.[5]
Surrounding area
edit
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b 境駅大図鑑 (A guide to remote stations), Editor Asami Shinohara, Tenmujin Co., Ltd., October, 2021, p. 16.
- ^ a b Kawashima, Ryōzō (2016). 北海道ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第3巻 道東 道北 エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Hokkaido. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 3 East and North areas] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 22, 67. ISBN 4062951800.
- ^ "列車名/路線名から時刻検索 宗谷本線(稚内―名寄―旭川) 上り". JR Hokkaido. 3 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Ishino, Tetsu, ed. (1998). 停車場変遷大辞典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory - JNR/JR]. Vol. II. Japan: JTB. p. 902. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g 利用者○人駅イカロスMOOK (Stations with 0 users, Ikaros Mook), 行 発行人/塩谷茂代 発行所/イカロス出版株式会社 会社, Apr. 10, 2021, p. 6.
- ^ a b 幌延３駅、来春廃止 ＪＲが町に方針伝達 [3 stations in Horonobe to close next spring - JR notifies town]. Doshin (in Japanese). Japan: The Hokkaido Shimbun Press. 3 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 September 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- ^ "無人18駅、自治体管理へ JR北海道 経営難で急拡大". 北海道新聞. 5 February 2021. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
External links
edit
- JR Hokkaido station information (in Japanese)