New JR Train Station Opens in Morioka for 1st Time in 25 Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:30 JST, April 16, 2023

MORIOKA — Many residents came out to take part in a ceremony held to commemorate the opening of Maegata Station, a new station on the JR Tazawako Line, in Morioka on March 18.

The construction of a station between Morioka and Okama stations has been requested by locals for more than 20 years, and construction finally began in May.

The unmanned station, equipped with a ramp and a waiting room, is located near Aeon Mall Morioka and is expected to make things more convenient for residents and ease traffic.

The new station is the first to be built on a regular train line in the prefecture since the Shiwa-Chuo Station was built in 1998 on the Tohoku Line.

“It is a great honor to celebrate the completion of this magnificent station with all of you,” said Kimito Kubo, the head of the Morioka Branch Office of East Japan Railway Co.

A 39-year-old company employee, who brought his 4-year-old daughter to the celebration, said, “When my daughter gets a little older, she might use this station to go to school, so it’ll be convenient.”