Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi) Station

Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi) Station 内湾入口（八日町）駅
General information
Location	Yokamachi, Kesennuma, Miyagi （宮城県気仙沼市八日町） Japan
Coordinates	38°54′31″N 141°34′13″E
Operated by	JR East
Line(s)	■ Ōfunato Line
Platforms	double sides platform
History
Opened	12 March 2022
Services
Preceding station JR East Following station Kesennuma towards Maeyachi Kesennuma / Ōfunato BRT Shishiori-Karakuwa towards Sakari
Location Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi) Station Location within Japan

Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi) Station (内湾入口（八日町）駅, Naiwan-Iriguchi (Yōkamachi eki)) is a JR East bus rapid transit line station.

Lines

Naiwan-Iriguchi Station is served by the Ōfunato Line, and is located 63 kilometers from the terminus of the line at Ichinoseki Station.

Station layout

Shishiori-Karakuwa Station is a double side platform serving bi-directional tracks.

History

The section between Kesennuma Station and Sakari Station of the Ofunato Line collapsed during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, after which it was reconstructed as a bus rapid transit in December 2015.[1] Kesennuma, Miyagi applied for the installation of nine new stations including Naiwan-Iriguchi along the Kesennuma BRT line in July 2016.[2]

At first, the new station's name was to be "Kesennuma Shiyakusho-mae" (Kesennuma City Hall), however the city hall was later moved elsewhere. The approval for the new station in June 2020 attracted the public to propose names. These included "Kesennumawan Gateway", "Kanaegaura", and "Kesennuma Naiwan", with all proposed names emphasizing Kesennuma Bay in one way or another.

On 3 June 2020 construction of the stations were approved during the "First Kesennuma Public Transportation Conference" (令和2年度第1回気仙沼市地域公共交通会議).[2][3] On 25 June 2021 construction was officially announced by JR East.[4][5][6] On 12 March 2022 the station opened.[7][8]

Surrounding area

The station is located behind Kesennuma City Hall. However, it was announced that the city hall was to be moved elsewhere in January 2020.[9][2]

Adjacent stations

JR East

■Ofunato line BRT

□Rapid・■Local

Kesennuma Station - Naiwan-Iriguchi(Yōkamachi) Station - Shishiori-Karakuwa Station

References

1. "震災被害の大船渡線、鉄路ではなくBRTで本格復旧へ　気仙沼線は議論継続". 乗りものニュース. メディア・ヴァーグ. 2016-01-04. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
2. "BRT新駅の設置要望に係る合意について" (PDF). 気仙沼市. 2020-06-03. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
3. "地域公共交通会議の開催状況 令和2年度". 気仙沼市. 2021-02-09. Archived from the original on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
4. "気仙沼線BRT新駅の設置について" (PDF) (Press release). 東日本旅客鉄道盛岡支社、東北工事事務所. 2021-06-25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
5. "気仙沼にBRT3駅 JR東、来春新設". 河北新報ONLINE NEWS. 2021-06-26. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
6. "BRT新駅　気仙沼に来春3カ所新設". 朝日新聞デジタル. 2021-06-30. Archived from the original on 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
7. "気仙沼線BRT・大船渡線BRTのダイヤ改正について" (PDF) (Press release). 東日本旅客鉄道盛岡支社、東日本旅客鉄道仙台支社. 2022-01-26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
8. "BRT三つの新駅 3月12日に供用". 三陸新報. 2022-01-28. Archived from the original on 2022-01-28. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
9. "新庁舎の建設位置を決定しました" (PDF). 気仙沼市. 2020-01-28. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2022-02-27.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)