Yoake Station (夜明駅, Yoake-eki) is a passenger railway station operated by JR Kyushu in the city of Hita, Ōita Prefecture, Japan. It was formerly the junction between the Kyudai Main Line and the Hitahikosan Line.[1][2]

Yoake Station

夜明駅
Kyushu Railway Company
Yoake Station in December 2016
General information
Location1802 Yoake, Hita-shi, Ōita-ken 877-1112
Japan
Coordinates33°19′11″N 130°51′58″E / 33.31960833°N 130.8662333°E / 33.31960833; 130.8662333
Operated by JR Kyushu
Line(s) Kyūdai Main Line
Distance39.1 km from Kurume
Platforms1 side + 1 island platforms
Tracks3
Construction
Structure typeAt grade (side hill cutting)
Other information
StatusUnstaffed
WebsiteOfficial website
History
Opened12 March 1932 (1932-03-12)
Passengers
FY201536 daily
Services
Preceding station Logo of the Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). JR Kyushu Following station
Chikugo-Ōishi
towards Kurume
Kyūdai Main Line Teruoka
towards Ōita
Location
Yoake Station is located in Oita Prefecture
Yoake Station
Yoake Station
Location within Oita Prefecture
Yoake Station is located in Japan
Yoake Station
Yoake Station
Yoake Station (Japan)
Map

Lines edit

Yoake Station is served by the Kyūdai Main Line and is located 39.1 km from the starting point of the line at Kurume. It was the southern terminal station terminus of the 68.7 km Hitahikosan Line, connecting Hita with at Jōno;[3]however, that line was discontinued after torrential rains damaged the track in July 2017, and was replaced by a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in 2023.

Layout edit

The station consists of two side platforms serving two tracks on a side hill cutting. The station building is a modern structure but built in traditional Japanese style with a tiled roof, tiled entrance portico and verandah at the side. It is unstaffed and serves only as a waiting room. A flight of steps leads up the side hill cutting to the station building from the access road (National Route 386). Access to the island platform is by means of a footbridge.[2][3][4]

Platforms edit

1   Kyūdai Main Line for Kurume
2   Kyūdai Main Line for Hita

History edit

Japanese Government Railways (JGR) had opened the Kyudai Main Line on 24 December 1928 with a track between Kurume and Chikugo-Yoshii and had extended the line east to Chikugo-Ōishi by 11 July 1931. In a further phase of expansion, the track was extended east with Yoake opening as the eastern terminus on 12 March 1932. It became a through-station on 3 March 1934 when the track was extended to Hita. On 22 August 1937 JGR opened the Hitosan Line from Yoake north to Hōshuyama. On 1 April 1960, this track was linked to tracks further north and became part of the Hitahikosan Line. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR), the successor of JGR, on 1 April 1987, JR Kyushu took over control of the station.[5][6]

In July 2017, torrential rainfall led to the tracks of the Hitahikosan Line from Soeda to Yoake being covered with mud and debris. Train services along this sector were cancelled.[7][8] The Hitahikosan Line was replaced by a BRT service in 2023.

Passenger statistics edit

In fiscal 2015, there were a total of 13,265 boarding passengers, giving a daily average of 36 passengers.[9]

Surrounding area edit

  • Hita City Yoake Elementary School

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "JR Kyushu Route Map" (PDF). JR Kyushu. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b "夜明" [Yoake]. hacchi-no-he.net. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  3. ^ a b Kawashima, Ryōzō (2013). 図説: 日本の鉄道 四国・九州ライン 全線・全駅・全配線・第4巻 福岡エリア [Japan Railways Illustrated. Shikoku and Kyushu. All lines, all stations, all track layouts. Volume 4 Fukuoka Area] (in Japanese). Kodansha. pp. 37, 73, 77. ISBN 9784062951630.
  4. ^ "夜明" [Yoake]. Retrieved 8 April 2018. Blog entry with good photographic coverage of station facilities.
  5. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. I. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. pp. 227, 230. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  6. ^ Ishino, Tetsu; et al., eds. (1998). 停車場変遷大事典 国鉄・JR編 [Station Transition Directory – JNR/JR] (in Japanese). Vol. II. Tokyo: JTB Corporation. pp. 739, 767. ISBN 4-533-02980-9.
  7. ^ "Death toll from Kyushu rains hits 22 as searches, evacuations continue". Mainichi Daily News. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  8. ^ "Suspension of the train service" (PDF). JR Kyushu. September 2017. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  9. ^ "平成28年版 大分県統計年鑑 11 運輸および通信" [Oita Prefecture Statistics Yearbook 2016 Edition Section 11 Transportation and Communications]. Oita Prefectural Government website. Retrieved 8 April 2018. See table 128 Transport situation by individual railway stations (JR Kyushu JR Freight).

External links edit

  Media related to Yoake Station at Wikimedia Commons