is a joint use railway station on the JR East

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 northern Ōu Main Line

Ou Main Line

The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company . It runs from Fukushima Station in Fukushima, Fukushima through Akita Station in Akita, Akita to Aomori Station in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture...

 and Gonō Line

Gono Line

The is a railway line in Japan linking Higashi-Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture with Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshū. The line stretches 147.2 km along the Sea of Japan coast with a total of 43 stations...

 located in the town of Inakadate

Inakadate, Aomori

is a village located in the Minamitsugaru District of east-central Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population of 8,421 and a density of 369 persons per km². Its total area was 22.31 km².-Geography:...

, Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

 Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is 453.4 rail kilometers from the southern terminus

Terminal Station

Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...

 of the Ōu Main Line at Fukushima Station

Fukushima Station

Fukushima Station is the name of multiple train stations in Japan:*Fukushima Station in Fukushima, Fukushima*Fukushima Station in Osaka...

, and is the northern terminus of the Gonō Line.

History

Kawabe Station was opened on December 1, 1894 as a station on the Japanese Government Railways, the predecessor to the Japan National Railways (JNR) on the Ōu Northern Line. From August 15, 1912, a spur line became operations to Kuroishi

Kuroishi, Aomori

is a city located in northeastern Aomori in Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 36,675 and a density of 169 persons per km². Its total area was 216.96 km².-Geography:Kuroishi is located in west-central Aomori Prefecture...

, and from September 25, 1918, the Mutsu Railways (present-day Gonō Line) began operations from Kawabe Station. On November 1, 1984, operations on the Kuroishi Line were transferred from JNR to the Konan Railway. All freight operations were discontinued from April 1987. With the privatization

Privatization

Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...

 of the JNR on April 1, 1987, it came under the operational control of JR East. The Kuroishi Line ceased operations from April 1, 1998.

Station layout

Kawabe Station has two island platform

Island platform

An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...

, serving three tracks, connected to the station building by an overpass. The station is attended during normal working hours, and has a Green Window service counter. The fourth track normally associated with two island platforms has not been in use since April 1, 1998 with the discontinuation of the Kuroishi Line.

Platforms

1	■Gonō Line Gono Line The is a railway line in Japan linking Higashi-Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture with Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshū. The line stretches 147.2 km along the Sea of Japan coast with a total of 43 stations...	for and
	■Ōu Main Line Ou Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company . It runs from Fukushima Station in Fukushima, Fukushima through Akita Station in Akita, Akita to Aomori Station in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture...	for and (Rapid Fukaura and Resort Shirakami)
2	■Ōu Main Line Ou Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company . It runs from Fukushima Station in Fukushima, Fukushima through Akita Station in Akita, Akita to Aomori Station in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture...	for Namioka Namioka Station is a railway station on the JR East northern Ōu Main Line located in the city of Aomori, Aomori Prefecture Japan. It is 462.1 rail kilometers from the southern terminus of the Ōu Main Line at Fukushima Station.-History:...  and Aomori Aomori Station is a railway station located in Aomori, Aomori, Japan. The station opened on 1 September 1891.-Lines:Aomori Station is served by the following lines.*Ōu Main Line *Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line *Aoimori Railway Line...
3	■Ōu Main Line Ou Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company . It runs from Fukushima Station in Fukushima, Fukushima through Akita Station in Akita, Akita to Aomori Station in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture...	for and
	■Gonō Line Gono Line The is a railway line in Japan linking Higashi-Noshiro Station in Akita Prefecture with Kawabe Station in Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Honshū. The line stretches 147.2 km along the Sea of Japan coast with a total of 43 stations...	for and (Rapid Fukaura)

Adjacent stations

External links

• JR East station information page