New Station: Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai

A Whole Lot of New Stations

It is becoming more and more of a regular occurrence these days, with articles being written about new stations around Tokyo. For a while, the reports were thick and fast about Takanawa Gateway, the new Yamanote Line station. This has taken a back seat recently while people are left to enjoy the new architecture of the Ginza Line platform in Shibuya. And let’s not forget Toranomon Hills on the Hibiya line, sure to catch the attention of shoppers. However, one station has slipped through the gap between the train and the platform; one that must be mentioned, and is expected to play a very useful role for commuters. This is a review of Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai station, and the Sotetsu Shin-Yokohama line. This article is more geared towards commuters rather than station-spotters, but do pay the station a visit if you like. Make sure to check the picture gallery at the bottom of the page too for a few images and commuting resources.

Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai Station at a Glance

Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai station is situated in the Hodogaya ward of Yokohama city. It opened on November 30, 2019 after being postponed considerably. It is currently operated under Sōtetsu and Japan Rail, whose lines both connect at this station. Trains currently serve the station every thirty minutes, with a few more running at peak times. Despite its infrequent schedule, it serves as a very useful transport hub for this area of the city, giving direct routes to Tokyo and alternative transport during delays. It is a three minute ride down to Nishiya station from here, and a longer sixteen minute ride up to Musashi-Kosugi station where it joins the JR Shonan-Shinjuku line. Due to platform lengths, only 10-car services will run through this station.

Building and Opening

Although the line was forecast to open in 2015, setbacks in construction, mostly due to connections to the existing freight lines, delayed the opening until at least 2018. Finally in 2016, it was announced that the line would open during the second half of the 2019 fiscal year, and it did, on November 30^th of that year. By their original projections, the second through-line to Hiyoshi was set to have opened too, however, this too has been put on hold until the second half of 2022.

Freight services have been present since the 1970s, but the area around Hazawa and Sugeta has been overlooked by passenger rail until now. The area has been noted as inconvenient and even a ‘blank space’ in terms of transportation.  The nearest stations could be up to half an hour away on foot. The area is well used by workers at the freight company, local residents, and students at Yokohama Kokuritsu University. Because of this, demand was obvious. It is anticipated that the station will quickly be serving over ten thousand passengers daily.

The Station Itself

The station has a large concourse at ground level with only one ticket gate. The two platforms are located underground, though with construction all around the area it feels rather strange. The line down to Nishiya with its large tunnel dome makes for an excellent photograph opportunity. The platform setup is simple, with trains away from Tokyo using platform 1, and trains towards using platform 2. During the very early morning services, all trains use platform 2, so do be careful.

The station contains all the facilities expected of a busy station, all except a place to buy snacks and drinks. Around the station at the moment is…very little indeed! As explained above, this area was claimed to be inconvenient for public transport, so there has been little demand for shops due to the footfall until now. This station is in a way still finding its feet, and development of the surrounding area looks set to continue. It is very unlikely that in a year from now, there is still no convenience store or coffee chain nearby.

What this Means for Regular Passengers

The opening of this station and the line through it brings many benefits for residents and commuters, but there are also a couple of things that are worth being aware of.

New Alternative Routes during Delays

Passengers who often encounter problems on the Odakyu line now have a secondary route to reach Yamato, Ebina and Shonandai stations with greater ease, and in most cases no transfer will be required. Similarly any congestion around Yokohama and Shin-Kawasaki can be avoided as these trains divert at Musashi-Kosugi. From experience, these trains continue to run even when JR lines have been suspended.

More Trains will Serve Nishiya on the Sōtetsu Line

Prior to the line opening, Nishiya was served only by local services. With the new timetable, passengers can expect rapid and commuter express services, thus vastly improving what was once one train every ten minutes.

Fares, Please

Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai station is the boundary station between Sōtetsu and JR. This means passengers travelling through are using two lines, and effectively paying two different fares. If we consider a route between Yamato and Shinjuku with the Odakyu line, the Sōtetsu route is a little more expensive. If there is a significant delay on the Odakyu line and passenger transfers are being accepted, buy an Odakyu paper ticket and use it via Hazawa to save a little extra money.

Season Ticket Changes

Passengers should be careful when choosing their commuter pass (teiki), as there is no one-size-fits-all. Those travelling to Shinjuku via Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai station will not be allowed to use their ticket between Nishiya and Tsurumi* stations. Alternatively, tickets via Yokohama will not be valid through Hazawa, even though the lines reconnect at Musashi-Kosugi.
*Trains on this route do not call at Tsurumi as standard.

The Next Step for Sōtetsu’s Through-Trains

The link to Musashi-Kosugi is the first of two planned services. As briefly acknowledged earlier, the next stage is for the line to run a through-service to Hiyoshi via Shin-Yokohama and another new station, Shin Tsunashima*. From here, trains can run through to Meguro, and then onward via the Toei Mita line, or the Tokyo Metro Namboku line. Figure 2 demonstrates how this will look at Hazawa Yokohama-Kokudai. Trains using this line will go through the tunnel, while trains bound for Shinjuku take a line which passes over it. These new services, when implemented, should hopefully add more meat to the bare bones of the current timetable.
*This is a temporary name while the station is under construction.

Final Words

New stations take time to grow, and this one is no exception, especially considering its location. There is not too much to see at the moment, however this station makes up for this in functionality and convenience. There is more to come in 2022, so if you have to travel to Tokyo each day for work, keep this station on your list. This guide will be updated when any new changes come about, so check back for any new information or for other ways this station can assist you on your travels.