Fans mourn closure of 'hidden' train station in mountains(「秘境駅」廃止、惜しむ声 赤岩駅ルポ)

 
A Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train passes JR Akaiwa Station in Fukushima on March 9.(赤岩駅のホーム横を通過する山形新幹線=3月9日)

 A train station that was well-known among train buffs as a "hidden station" in the mountains in Fukushima City has closed, 111 years after it opened.
In recent years, no train has stopped at JR Akaiwa Station on the JR Ou Line. When I visited the station on March 9, three days before it closed, I heard residents already lamenting the loss of the station that once helped them get around. The station was also famous for having a switchback system, which allowed a train to climb steep hills.

 山間部にあり、列車が1本も止まらない「秘境駅」として鉄道ファンらに知られたJR奥羽線赤岩駅(福島市)が、3月12日で廃止になった。開業から111年。廃止を3日後に控えた9日に訪れると、地元住民の移動を支え、「スイッチバック」と呼ばれる山越えの手段が採用された駅の最後を惜しむ声が聞かれた。

  I started my journey from the city's center and drove up a mountain for about 50 minutes. As if to prevent cars from going any further, the road narrowed. So, I pulled over and walked for about 20 minutes.
 When the path opened up, I looked down and saw railroad tracks and the station platform. As I approached the station, I saw that it was covered with rust and weeds. It was obvious that it had not been used for quite some time. Then a Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train rushed past the station.

 福島市の中心部を出発し、車で山道を登ること約50分。進入を拒むように道が狭くなり、車を降りて山道を20分ほど歩く。視界が開け、視線を落とすと、線路と駅のホームが見えた。近づくとホームは周囲を草に覆われ、さび付いた状態。長年放置されていたことが容易に想像できる。その横を山形新幹線が通過していった。

 According to East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, the station opened in October 1910. To climb over a steep mountain, a switchback system was adopted. This involved trains zigzagging up by repeatedly going forward and backward without turning the train around. Each of the four consecutive stations, including Akaiwa, used the system. When the Yamagata Shinkansen bullet train started operating in 1992, the switchback system was no longer used.
 In 2017, all the Ou Line trains started passing the station because fewer and fewer people were using it.

 JR東日本によると、赤岩駅は1910(明治43)年10月に開業。急勾配の峠を越えるため、列車が前進と後退を繰り返して走行する「スイッチバック」を行っていた。4駅連続のスイッチバックは県内でも珍しい区間だったが、92年の山形新幹線開通に伴い、スイッチバックは廃止。冬は雪深く、利用客も少ないことから、2017年からは全列車が通過していた。

 When JR East made the announcement in January that the station would close on March 12, train fans started bemoaning the decision on the internet, saying things like: "It's so sad that Akaiwa Station is going to close" and "It's a shame if the station closes permanently."
 "I'm glad I got to get close to the station one last time," said Toshikazu Suzuki, 42, a company employee from the town of Hirono in the prefecture. Suzuki decided to go see the station after learning about its closure online.
 As the building was off-limits to the public, he looked at the station from afar and took it all in.

 JR東は今年1月に駅の廃止を発表。するとインターネット上では「赤岩駅廃止か残念だなぁ」「完全廃止になるのは寂しいです」といった声が相次いだ。「最後の記念に駅の近くまで行けて良かった」。ネットで廃止を知り、足を運んだ広野町の会社員鈴木年和さん(42)。駅構内の立ち入りはすでに禁止されているため、少し離れたところから駅の方をしばらく見つめていた。

 The station was once essential to the lives of those in the area.
 "I used to get on the train once a week to go to Fukushima Station to shop or buy groceries at the Nakago department store and other shops," said a 78-year-old woman.
 The woman has lived in the Odaira district, which is about a 30-minute walk from Akaiwa Station, for almost 40 years. The district was once home to nearly 30 households. During winter, when heavy snow made it impossible to drive, some residents would load their vegetables and milk on the train to town to sell them, she said.

 赤岩駅は住民にとって欠かせないものだった。「週に1度は買い物のため電車に乗って福島駅に行き、中合百貨店などで日用品を購入していたのよ」。駅から歩いて30分ほどの大平集落に40年近く住む女性(78)は懐かしむ。かつては集落に30世帯近くが住み、積雪で自動車による移動ができない冬は、野菜や牛乳を列車に積んで売りに行った住民もいたという。

 Over time, the number of passengers dwindled and there are now only three households in the district.
  "It's a pity, but perhaps it can't be helped," the woman said, looking sad. "Speaking of the switchback, it reminds me of the majestic degoichi [a nickname for the D51 steam locomotive] puffing smoke, and it makes me so proud."
 Even though the station is gone, it will forever remain in the hearts and minds of the residents.

( Translated by The Japan News )

 時代の流れとともに駅の利用者は減り、現在は3世帯しか暮らしていない。「名残惜しいけど、廃止はしょうがないかな」。残念な表情を浮かべつつ、言葉を続けた。「スイッチバックといえば、デゴイチ(D51型蒸気機関車)が煙を吐く勇壮な姿が思い浮かぶ。それが誇りなのよ」。駅は消えても、住民の心には思い出として永遠に刻まれていく。

 【 福島民友新聞 】