The Sagami Line (相模線, Sagami-sen?) is a railway line in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It stretches northwest roughly along the east bank of the Sagami River. The line connects Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara and Chigasaki Station in Chigasaki. This line was originally built and operated by Sagami Railway (Sōtetsu). The line was nationalized in 1944 during World War II; the private Sagami Railway began operating the then Jinchū Line (神中線?), now the Sagami Railway Main Line.
After privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1991, the line was electrified. Before the JNR privatization, there were discussions to return the line to the Sagami Railway in order meet the expected demands of passenger traffic in the Tokyo and Yokohama suburbs. Because it had long been left unimproved as an unelectrified rural line, the cost to upgrade the line was beyond the ability of then financially critical JNR; Sagami Railway, on the other hand, was running a profitable operation on their own line. However, the two companis did not agree on a deal and plans to hand the line over were canceled.
A short branch to Nishi-Samukawa Station from Samukawa Station was abandoned in 1984.
Read more about Sagami Line: Services, Rolling Stock, Stations
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