Kabe Station (Hiroshima)
Kabe Station (可部駅, Kabe-eki) is a JR West Kabe Line terminal station located in 2-chōme, Kabe, Asakita-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.[1] As of December 1, 2003, Kabe Station is the terminal station of the Kabe Line. It replaced Sandankyō Station after the Kabe Line beyond Kabe Station was suspended.
History
 |
- 1911-07-13: The Imperial Railroad Hiroshima Branch Office Station opens
- 1919-03-11: The station becomes part of Kabe Railroad
- 1926-05-01: Kabe Railroad merges with Hiroshima Denki and the station ownership is transferred with the merger
- 1928-11-09: Service from Furuichibashi Station is suspended while track electrification takes place, buses handles service during this time
- 1929-12-02: Service begins again after the completion of the electrification work
- 1931-07-01: The station becomes part of Kōhama Railway
- 1935-12-01: The station is renamed Kōhama Kabe Station
- 1936-09-01: The station is renamed Kabe Station when it is nationalized
- 1936-10-13: The line between Aki-Imuro Station and Kabe Station is opened, making Kabe Station an intermediate station
- 1987-04-01: Japanese National Railways is privatized, and Kabe Station becomes a JR West station
- 2003-12-01: Service on the 46.2km rail line segment from Kabe Station to Sandankyō Station is suspended, making Kabe Station the terminal station of the Kabe Line
Kabe Station was formerly the boundary between the electrified and non-electrified sections of the Kabe Line. The non-electrified section of the line is now out of service.
Station building
Kabe Station features two platforms capable of handling three lines simultaneously. Platforms one and two are bay platforms, and all three service trains headed to Hiroshima Station. During the day, the trains are handled at platform two. During the morning and evening, the trains are handled at platforms one and three. Before the segment was closed, platform three handled trains bound for Sandankyō Station because it was the only through platform. The line at platform three which formerly continued on to Sandankyō Station has been severed and turned into a buffer stop (or "bumper") to keep the train from proceeding (see photo on right).
Prior to 2006, the unisex restroom was found outside the station before passing through the ticket gates. While the station is located within the city of Hiroshima, this restroom featured a pit-style toilet which had to be pumped regularly in order to remove the accumulated waste. The station had developed somewhat of a bad reputation because of this due to the lingering odor. This issue was resolved in 2006, however, with the completion of gender-specific restrooms featuring standard flush toilets connected to the city's sewer system. Once the new restrooms were completed, the old one was closed.
Environs
- Hiroshima Municipal Kabe Minami Elementary School
- Hiroshima Municipal Kabe High School
- Hiroshima Bunkyo Women's University
- Kabe Station Entrance Bus Station
- Kabe Driving School
- Kabe Public Employment Office
- Doi Clinic
- Ōta River
- JR West Geibi Line Shimofukawa Station is located 1.5km southwest
Highway access
- Japan National Route 54
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 70 (Hiroshima-Nakashima Route)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 177 (Shimosa Higashi Route)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 191 (Bingo Akasaka Teishajō Route)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 240 (Kabe Teishajō Route)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 267 (Utsu-Kabe Route)
- Hiroshima Prefectural Route 270 (Yagi-Midorii Route)
Connecting lines
All lines are JR West lines.
- Kabe Line
- Nakashima Station — Kabe Station
- Kabe Line (suspended section)
- Kabe Station — Kōdo Station