is an
infill
In urban planning, infill, or in-fill, is the rededication of land in an Urban area, urban environment, usually Urban open space, open-space, to new construction. Infill also applies, within an urban polity, to construction on any Greenfield land, ...
railway station on the
Sasshō Line
The , commonly known as the , is a railway line in Japan operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) which connects in Sapporo and in Tōbetsu, Ishikari District. Its name is made up of two characters from and , the latter of which ...
in
Tōbetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan. The station is operated by the
Hokkaido Railway Company
The is one of the constituent companies of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group), and is often referred to by its official abbreviation: . It operates intercity and local rail services in Hokkaido, Japan. The company introduced Kitaca, a smart ...
(JR Hokkaido).
Planning
The idea of building the station came about when the town of
Tōbetsu and
Royce', a chocolate manufacturing company,
submitted a joint petition to JR Hokkaido, seeking to establish a new
infill station
An infill station (sometimes in-fill station) is a train station built on an existing passenger rail, rapid transit, or light rail line to address demand in a location between existing stations. Such stations take advantage of existing train ser ...
.
The station was planned to improve convenience for visitors to Royce's Futomi factory, which is located along the
Sasshō Line
The , commonly known as the , is a railway line in Japan operated by Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) which connects in Sapporo and in Tōbetsu, Ishikari District. Its name is made up of two characters from and , the latter of which ...
, as well as to attract private investments to develop housing sites and visitor facilities in the area surrounding the station. Royce' paid
¥930 million for the construction of the station building and platform,
while the town of Tōbetsu would build the station square at an estimated cost of
¥546 million.
Construction
Construction of the station began in the spring of 2021, and the station itself opened on 12 March 2022.
While most trains stop at the station, a minority of trains are timetabled to skip the station. Following the opening of the station, approximately 500 people were expected to use the station daily, according to JR Hokkaido. Construction of the station square started later in June 2021; while the station square was originally meant to open in tandem with the railway station, a
geological survey revealed that the site was on soft ground.
Thus, the opening of the station square was delayed, and was completed in March 2023.
Station structure
The station consists of a station building as well as a single
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, ...
.
The exterior of the station building is painted blue, derived from the brand colour of
Royce', while the interior is made of
birch
A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
, a tree found in the town of
Tōbetsu.
References
{{Sasshō Line
Railway stations in Hokkaido Prefecture
Railway stations in Japan opened in 2022
Stations of Hokkaido Railway Company
Tōbetsu, Hokkaido