EMU JR East E233-7000 series stand at Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai station
Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai is the newest station in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Hazawa is the name of the place. On the other hand, Yokohama Kokudai means Yokohama National University, which is located near the station. Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai station was opened on November 30th, 2019, when the JR-Sotetsu direct line (a connecting route between the JR East and the Sotetsu lines) was inaugurated. I recently visited this brand new station and walked around the surrounding area. What kind of place was there?
The new station is used by both JR East and Sotetsu (Sagami Railway), but managed by Sotetsu alone. The platforms are located underground. They are separated ones with automatic platform gates. Trains arrive and depart every 30 minutes on average both northbound and southbound for now. Passengers may need more frequent services. The station building is large enough. It is equipped with escalators, elevators, clean toilets and so on. The only problem is that there is no kiosk.
The surrounding area is just quiet. It is adjacent to the Hazawa freight station operated by JR Freight. Another side is a residential area. There is neither a shop nor a restaurant. I found several passengers who got on and off the station, but most of them were railfans or sightseers who were interested in the new station, not local people. Yokohama National University is located east of the station, but I couldn't find any students due to the New Year holiday season.
Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai... it is brand new but a bit lonely station.
The new station is used by both JR East and Sotetsu (Sagami Railway), but managed by Sotetsu alone. The platforms are located underground. They are separated ones with automatic platform gates. Trains arrive and depart every 30 minutes on average both northbound and southbound for now. Passengers may need more frequent services. The station building is large enough. It is equipped with escalators, elevators, clean toilets and so on. The only problem is that there is no kiosk.
The surrounding area is just quiet. It is adjacent to the Hazawa freight station operated by JR Freight. Another side is a residential area. There is neither a shop nor a restaurant. I found several passengers who got on and off the station, but most of them were railfans or sightseers who were interested in the new station, not local people. Yokohama National University is located east of the station, but I couldn't find any students due to the New Year holiday season.
Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai... it is brand new but a bit lonely station.
JR East-Sotetsu Hazawa-Yokohama Kokudai station