The Eastern Kanagawa Rail Link () is a strategic railway project in Japan to improve the railway network connectivity and passenger convenience between the eastern Kanagawa Prefecture and Tokyo Metropolis, as well as access to Tà Âkaidà  Shinkansen at Shin-Yokohama Station.
The new infrastructures of this project are constructed and owned by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT), which is an Independent Administrative Institution governed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, while operation is divided between Sagami Railway (Sà Âtetsu), JR East and Tà Âkyà « Railways.
In its finalized form, this railway project comprises 2 major portions:
Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂJR Link Line (SJLL; ): Connecting Sà Âtetsu and JR East by a new railroad, Sà Âtetsu Shin-yokohama Line, constructed between and for entering the Tà Âkaidà  Freight Line. This enables through service from (Sà Âtetsu) to (JR) via , , and alongside the Yamanote Line. It has entered service since 30 November 2019.
Regarding passenger information, northbound services on the Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂJR Link Line continue through to the Saikyà  Line via à Âsaki, where they interline with the Rinkai Line, which also offers northbound through service onto the Saikyà  Line. It shares tracks with the Shà ÂnanâÂÂShinjuku Line between and Ikebukuro, and with the Yokosuka Line between Musashi-Kosugi and .
In practice, the majority of Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂJR Link Line trains terminate at Shinjuku station, with only few morning trains between 6 am and 9 am go beyond Shinjuku and terminate at either Ikebukuro, , , à Âmiya or Kawagoe.
Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂTà Âkyà « Link Line (STLL; ): Connecting Sà Âtetsu and Tà Âkyà « Railways with a new railroad, which is divided into Sà Âtetsu Shin-yokohama Line and Tà Âkyà « Shin-yokohama Line, constructed between Hazawa yokohama-kokudai and via Shin-yokohama.
Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂTà Âkyà « Shin-yokohama Station serves as an operational boundary between Sà Âtetsu and Tà Âkyà «. This enables through services from Ebina or (Sà Âtetsu) to Shibuya (Tà Âyoko Line, which continues onward to Fukutoshin Line) and (Meguro Line, which continues onward to either Namboku Line or Mita Line). Furthermore, the through-running is possible via Fukutoshin Line to (Tà Âbu Tà Âjà  Line), or via Namboku Line to (Saitama Rapid Railway Line). This has entered service since 18 March 2023.
Similar railway plans which proposed to connect different existing passenger railways for through service around the eastern Kanagawa regions had been devised before the Eastern Kanagawa Rail Link. In 1983, a team of experts of civil engineering, environmental management, railway, etc. proposed numerous public transit plans in a study of Kanagawa transportation infrastructure provision. Among those plans were new railroads which would connect Sà Âtetsu and/or with the Tà Âkaidà  Freight Line for Haneda Airport, as well as , Yokohama-Hazawa, Shin-yokohama and to allow through service between Sà Âtetsu and Tà Âkyà «.
The project which is codenamed the "Eastern Kanagawa Rail Link" began its infancy from the in January 2000. In the initial proposal, a new railroad would connect of Sà Âtetsu to à Âkurayama of Tà Âkyà « Railways via Shin-yokohama. Originally Sà Âtetsu, which was only operating within Kanagawa Prefecture and did not have any through service with other railway operators, was not interested in this plan, because a through service via Shin-yokohama would divert passengers away from its hub terminus. However, as the population decline led to ridership drop of Sà Âtetsu, the rail company became more favorable towards the plan which improves connectivity with the Tokyo Metropolis and Saitama Prefecture. In September 2004, the Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂJR Link Line plan was formally announced which would provide a more direct access to Shinjuku, Tokyo from areas served by Sà Âtetsu between and .
In May 2005, the was passed by the parliament of Japan and went into effect on 1 August 2005 with the aim of encouraging many different railway operators of major metropolitan areas of Japan to provide better and more convenient passenger experience via new railroads which would enable through services between different operators. The new law also stipulates a model which separate the construction/maintenance (æ´åÂÂ主ä½Â) and operation (å¶æ¥Â主ä½Â) of infrastructure to different entities.
Under this new law, in June 2006, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism approved the initial maintenance and operation plans of the Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂJR Link Line (SJLL) and Sà ÂtetsuâÂÂTà Âkyà « Link Line (STLL) submitted by the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency (JRTT). The SJLL was green-lighted on 21 November 2006 and STLL on 11 April 2007.
The Eastern Kanagawa Rail Link project was funded one-third from the national coffer, one-third from the local governments (both prefectural and municipal), and one-third from private loan. The JRTT coordinated the construction of this project, owns the completed rail infrastructure, and is responsible for its maintenance. Sà Âtetsu and Tà Âkyà « collect the revenues from operating the railways owned by JRTT, and then they pay JRTT a portion of those revenues for maintenance and loan reimbursement for this project.
Both Sà Âtetsu and Tà Âkyà « Railways applied to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for an additional fare charge of using the new railways. This was due to the high cost of construction and the drop in estimated ridership from the initial projection, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.