I look forward to visiting distinctive railway stations more than before. After a visit to the "station right above the river", I moved to an "urban unexplored station" on the Sagami Railway (Sotetsu).
Visiting unexplored railway stations is a popular journey among rail-fans. The definition of unexplored stations is not clear, but they get off at remote countryside stations, and enjoy the nature around there in general. It must be exciting experiences away from their everyday lives. Unexplored stations are also found in urban areas. They're secluded stations rather than unexplored stations. Yumegaoka is a good example. It's located in Yokohama City on the Sotetsu-Izumino line. This station was opened in 1999, but there are no shops and houses around there even now. Currently, the station is used by 1,000 passengers per day. The city of Yokohama has been planning a development project around the station with land owners. It's estimated to complete in 2024. I like Yumegaoka as the station design is innovative. The platform is covered by blue-colored curved steel frames. To protect passengers from the strong wind, the steel frames are covered by transparent acrylic boards.
Taking this opportunity, I also show you a picture of the EMU Sotetsu 11000 series arriving at Yumegaoka station. The 11000 series was launched in 2008 to replace the decrepit 5000 and 7000 series. 5 sets, 50 cars in total, were built by Tokyu Sharyo and others. To reduce the manufacturing costs, it has a common design and technical specifications with JR East's EMU E233 series.
