Kami-Shirataki Station

Location
	Kami-Shirataki Station Location within Japan

Kami-Shirataki Station

上白滝駅
Kami-Shirataki Station; 上白滝駅
	Kami-Shirataki Station building in June 2009
General information
Location	Kamishirataki, Engaru-cho, Monbetsu-gun, Hokkaido 099-0127; Japan
Operated by	Hokkaido Railway Company
Line(s)	■ Sekihoku Main Line
Distance	78.9 km (49.0 mi) from Shin-Asahikawa
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Other information
Status	Closed
Station code	A44
History
Opened	1 October 1932
Closed	25 March 2016
Location
Location
	Kami-Shirataki Station Location within Japan

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.

Lines

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. It was open for 1 girl that used the station to go to school, when she graduated from the school the station officially closed.

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

National Route 333

References

^ ^a ^b 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. 918. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
^ 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.
^ "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.
^ "Train continues to stop at rural station for lone schoolgirl until she graduates in March". SoraNews24 -Japan News-. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
^ 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.