Why does the Nozomi train stop at Shin-Yokohama Station?

When traveling west from Tokyo Station on the Tokaido Shinkansen, trains make stops at Shinagawa Station and then Shin-Yokohama Station.

Currently, all trains without exception, including the fastest category “Nozomi,” stop at this station. (Even the Doctor Yellow inspection train stops at Shin-Yokohama Station.)

For many users, this scene is so natural that there may be no room for doubt.

However, if we turn back the clock about 60 years, a completely different landscape unfolds.

Shin-Yokohama was once a station that the Shinkansen’s elite trains, “Hikari” and “Nozomi,” would pass through at full speed without a second glance.

Why did a station built in a rural area with nothing transform into a major terminal boasting one of Japan’s highest passenger numbers?

Hidden within its dramatic growth trajectory are the struggles of railway engineers and the inevitable drama born from urban growth.

1. Construction in a Predestined “Rural Area”

The Tokaido Shinkansen opened in 1964.

The biggest challenge facing the then Japanese National Railways was how to connect Tokyo and Osaka at high speed.

Laying the “straight tracks” necessary for high-speed operation through the already overcrowded urban area around Yokohama Station was physically and financially impossible.

Therefore, the engineers chose a route that made a wide detour around Yokohama’s urban area, cutting through the inland region.

The spot chosen was the intersection with the Yokohama Line.

This was the area around Shinohara-cho, Kohoku Ward at the time.

Looking at aerial photographs from the opening period, the scene is shocking.

Surrounding the station were not buildings or hotels, but only fields, farmland, and woodlands.

Above: The surrounding area before the construction of Shin-Yokohama Station (1961).

It is reminiscent of the Hokkaido Shinkansen’s Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station when it first opened, standing in the middle of wilderness.

A place bearing the name “Yokohama” yet far removed from the bustling city center.

That was the starting point for Shin-Yokohama.

Naturally, its status at the time of opening was not high.

Only the all-stations “Kodama” service stopped there.

The “Hikari” trains rushing between Tokyo and Osaka would pass by this small station, kicking up dust.

2. Urban Expansion and the Decision for “Hikari” to Stop

However, the establishment of the station decisively changed the fate of the land.

The overwhelming potential of being “less than 20 minutes to Tokyo and directly connected to Osaka” resonated with urban expansion during the period of high economic growth.

The initially sparse development around the station eventually turned into a torrent.

Companies that noticed the convenience of the Shinkansen began relocating their headquarters and offices one after another.

Simultaneously, residential development progressed as a Tokyo bedroom town, leading to the emergence of “Shinkansen commuters” who lived around Shin-Yokohama and commuted via the Shinkansen.

In 1985, the Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line was extended, establishing a connection with central Yokohama.

Faced with the rapid increase in businessmen and residents using the station, the National Railways had no choice but to act.

Finally, some “Hikari” trains began stopping at Shin-Yokohama Station.

This was the moment the station was upgraded from a mere “local stop” to an “intercity transport hub.”

3. The Paradigm Shift of All “Nozomi” Trains Stopping

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