- Bingo Ochiai Station
nihongo|Bingo Ochiai Station|備後落合駅|Bingo Ochiai Eki is a JR West Geibi and
Kisuki Line station located in Hattori (sometimes called "Ochiai Ekimae"), Saijō-chō, Shōbara,Hiroshima Prefecture ,Japan . TheMiyoshi Liner express service fromHiroshima Station (one run in the evening) terminates at this station, though it is alocal train betweenMiyoshi Station and Bingo Ochiai.Bingo Ochiai was previously a switchback station for express trains, and had a lot of staff to handle the large number of trains. Now all of the traffic is handled by a CTC system and the station is due to become an unmanned station. The station used to house a train garage, turntable,
water tower , and a coal yard, though most traces of these were removed by 2004. The area around the station now includes an old house which thetrain engineer s used, and due to the full automation of all of the station functions, the area is generally quiet. Bingo Ochiai Station is popular among railway fans due to its elevation, and it is now one of theHikyō station s.Because Bingo Ochiai Station is located at the boundaries between the Okayama, Yonago, and Hiroshima branch offices of JR West, the
Okuizumo Orochi-gō old-style coach train is often seen there. These trains many times feature old-style wooden benches.History
*
1935-12-20 : Bingo Ochiai Station opens as theterminal station of the Shōbara Line betweenBingo Saijō Station and Bingo Ochiai
*1936-10-10 : With the completion of the line fromOnuka Station , Bingo Ochiai Station becomes an intermediary stop on the Sanshin Line betweenBitchū Kōjiro Station andMiyoshi Station
*1937-07-01 : Bingo Ochiai Station becomes part of the nationalized Geibi Line, which stretches from Hiroshima to Niimi
*1937-12-12 : Bingo Ochiai Station becomes a junction station between the Kisuki Line and the Geibi Line
*1987-04-01 :Japan National Railways is privatized, and Bingo Ochiai Station becomes a JR West stationIt was recently announced that Bingo Ochiai Station will become an unmanned station at some point in the near future.
tation building and platform
Bingo Ochiai Station features one station-side platform facing an island with two more platforms. The station features a "kumitorishiki benjo" (basically an "indoor outhouse" attached to the building).
*Platform 1:Kisuki Line (towardShinji Station )
*Platform 2:Geibi Line (towardMiyoshi Station )
*Platform 3: Geibi Line (towardNiimi Station ).Environs
Hiroshima Prefectural Route 234 (Bingo Ochiai Teishajō Route) connects Bingo Ochiai station to Japan National Route 314. A beauty salon and
taxicab service are located on this road, along with a variety ofvending machine s. In addition, there is aryokan for travellers ehich is frequented by those using the evening Chidori express. Due to a smaller number of customers, the ryokan also acts as a tobacco shop in order to stay in business. Across the bridge at the base of the hill is a small grocery store, another group of vending machines, and a small contract post office.Route 314 connects to Japan National Route 183 on the way toward Saijō. A drive-in featuring area specialties such as
oden andudon , hot foods which are especially popular during the ski season, is found along this route.Connecting lines
All lines are JR West lines.;Geibi Line:
Dōgoyama Station — Bingo Ochiai Station —Hibayama Station ;Kisuki Line :Yuki Station — Bingo Ochiai StationExternal links
*ja icon [http://www.jr-odekake.net/eki/top.php?id=0650510 JR West]
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