is a junction passenger

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

located in Saijō-chō, in the city of

Shōbara 270px, Shōbara City Hall 270px, Bihoku-kyuryo Park 270px, Shobara city center area aerial photograph is a city in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 32,343 in 14984 households and a population density o ...

, Hiroshima Prefecture,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is operated by the

West Japan Railway Company , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

(JR West).

Lines

Bingo-Ochiai Station is served by the

Geibi Line The is a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West) in the mountainous area of the Chūgoku region in Japan. It begins at Bitchū Kōjiro Station on the west side of Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, connecting through Miyoshi S ...

, and is located 44.6 kilometers from the

terminus Terminus may refer to: Ancient Rome *Terminus (god), a Roman deity who protected boundary markers Transport *Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination *Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end des ...

of the line at and 51.0 kilometers from . It is also the terminus of the 81.9 kilometer

Kisuki Line The is a railway line in Japan operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West). The line connects in Matsue, Shimane with in Shōbara, Hiroshima. Stations 　Four〜10 Diesel trains are operated every day. There are more trains between Shi ...

to .

Station layout

The station consists of one ground-level

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms, ...

and one

island platform An island platform (also center platform (American English) or centre platform (British English)) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway inte ...

. The station building is located on next to the side platform used by the Kisuki Line, and is connected to the island platform used by the Geibi Line via a level crossing. There was a footbridge at the time of opening, but it was removed during the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

. The station is unattended.

Platforms

File:JRW bingo ochiai sta enclosure.jpg, The station platforms at Bingo Ochiai (2007-09-26) File:Bingo Ochiai Station type 120-300 series train.jpg, A class 120-300 one-man-operated train at Bingo Ochiai headed for

Niimi Station is a junction passenger railway station located in the city of Niimi, Okayama, Niimi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Niimi Station is served by the Hakubi Line, and is located 64. ...

(2006-09-17) File:Bingo otiai kiha120 200ban.JPG, A class 120-200 one-man-operated train at Bingo Ochiai (2006-09-17) File:Okuizumo Orochi-gō 98.jpg, Okuizumo Orochi-gō 98 tourist train headed for Bingo Ochiai (2006-06-25) File:Bingo-Ochiai Station - various - Aug 14 2019 14 38 27 270000.jpeg, Inside station building (2019-08-14)

History

Bingo-Ochiai Station was opened on December 20, 1935 as the

of the Shōbara Line between Bingo-Saijō and Bingo-Ochiai. Upon completion of the extension of the line from

Onuka Station is a passenger railway station located in Tōjō-chō, in the city of Shōbara, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West). Lines Onuka Station is served by the Geibi Line, and is located 33.6 kilo ...

on October 10, 1936 it became an intermediary stop on the Sanshin Line between Bitchū Kōjiro and Miyoshi. The line was nationalized on July 1, 1937 and renamed the Geibi Line. On December 12, 1937 it became a junction station between the Kisuki Line and the Geibi Line. Bingo Ochiai Station served as one of the main stations in the Bihoku district, including lodging facilities, track maintenance divisions, and communication divisions were established, and at one point more than 200 employees worked at the station. The station handled locomotive replacement and maintenance, split-merge of carriages, switchbacks, etc. In front of the station were two inns, taxis, restaurants, barbershops and other establishments, such that the area was called "Ochiai Ginza". However, after World War II, the number of employees decreased due to the replacement of steam locomotives with diesel trains, and the number of users decreased due to depopulation and the development of the road network. The station became part of

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

on April 1, 1987 when

Japan National Railways The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987. Network Railways As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...

was privatized.

Passenger statistics

In fiscal 2019, the station was used by an average of 28 passengers daily.Numerical National Land Information Passenger Number Data by Station
- Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, September 2020

Surrounding area

The station is located in a mountainous area and is separated from

Japan National Route 183 National Route 183 is a national highway of Japan connecting Naka-ku, Hiroshima and Yonago is a Cities of Japan, city in western Tottori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 146,139 in 68,534 households and a population ...

, which runs parallel to the station, by the Hitotobara River, a tributary of the Saijō River. It is connected to the national highway by Hiroshima Prefectural Route 234 Bingo-Ochiai Station Line, but the bridge (Ekimae Bridge) that crosses the Otoriwara River is located about 90 meters to the east, and it slopes gently down toward the bridge. There are no shops in front of the station, and there are many vacant houses due to

rural depopulation Rural flight (also known as rural-to-urban migration, rural depopulation, or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of people from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies ...

References

External links

Bingo-Ochiai Station from JR-Odekake.net
{{Kisuki Line Stations of West Japan Railway Company Railway stations in Japan opened in 1935 Geibi Line Kisuki Line Railway stations in Hiroshima Prefecture Shōbara, Hiroshima