Minami-Wakkanai Station | |
| Native Name: | 南稚内駅 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Symbol Location: | jp |
| Symbol: | jrh |
| Style: | JR Hokkaido |
| Type: | regional rail |
| Address: | 1-8 Daikoku, Wakkanai-shi, Hokkaido 097-0005 |
| Country: | Japan |
| Distance: | from |
| Platforms: | 2 side platforms |
| Status: | Staffed (Midori no Madoguchi) |
| Code: | W79 |
| Former: | Wakkanai (until 1939) |
| Passengers: | 45 daily |
| Pass Year: | 2022 |
| Map Type: | Japan Hokkaido#Japan |
| Map Dot Label: | Minami-Wakkanai Station |
| Mapframe: | yes |
| Mapframe-Zoom: | 17 |
is a railway station located in the city of Wakkanai, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is operated by JR Hokkaido.[1] [2] The station is numbered "W79".
Minami-Wakkanai Station is served by the 259.4km (161.2miles) Sōya Main Line from to, and lies 256.7 km from the starting point of the line at Asahikawa. Sōya and Sarobetsu limited express trains stop at this station.
This is an interchange station with two tracks and one side platform and one island platform (used on one side), connected by a footbridge. Trains generally enter platform 1 on the station building side, and platform 2 on the inside of the island platform is only used when trains, including non-return trains, need to pass each other. Since 2010, the track has been converted to a single track from this station to the end of the track at Wakkanai Station, making this the northernmost station in Japan to have switches, departure signals, and in-station signals.
The station opened on 1 November 1922, initially named, with the opening of the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) Tempoku Line between this station and Onishibetsu Station. On 25 June 1924 the track between this station and on the Teshio Kita Line opened. On 25 September 1926 the Teshio Minami Line and Teshio Kita Line were merged and the line name was changed to Teshio Line. The line was further extended to (current Wakkanai Station) on 26 December 1928 and on April 1, 1930 the Teshio Line was incorporated into the Sōya Main Line.[3] It was renamed Minami-Wakkanai on 1 February 1939 at the same time as Wakkanai Minato Station was renamed Wakkanai Station.[3]
On 6 November 1952 the station was relocated, moving approximately 1 one kilometer from Wakkanai city center to near the junction of the Soya Main Line and Tempoku Line. The station building was enlarged and modernized in March 1978. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the station came under the control of JR Hokkaido.[3] The Tempoku Line was abolished on 1 May 1989.
In fiscal 2022, the station was used by an average of 44.9 passengers daily.[4]