History
Oiwake opened on 1 August 1892 as a general station of the Hokkaido Coal & Railway Muroran Line, with the Oiwake Locomotive Depot opening on the same day. The branch line to Yūbari (later the Yūbari Line, now the Sekishō Line) opened on 1 November 1892. The Hokkaido Coal & Railway was nationalised on 1 October 1906. The roundhouse engine shed burnt down in September 1918, was rebuilt in September 1921, burnt again on 13 April 1976, and was rebuilt for a third time on 10 May 1977. Freight and parcel handling ended on 1 February 1984, and the station passed to JR Hokkaido with privatisation on 1 April 1987. The current (third) station building was placed in partial service on 17 October 1979 and dedicated on 10 April 1980.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-22.
Notes
The branch line to Yūbari was originally planned to fork from Mauoi (Yuni); it was relocated to Oiwake during construction, and the present Oiwake town developed around the station. The Japanese place name 'Oiwake' (fork in the road) refers to the line junction. The settlement was previously called 'Uenae-mura Abira'.