History
Sasago Station opened on 1 February 1903 as part of the Japanese Government Railways' Chūō Main Line, between Ōtsuki and what is today Kai-Yamato. Originally built with a passing switchback layout to handle the steep grade through the Sasago Pass, it was rebuilt as a through station with platforms on a 25-per-mille gradient when the line was double-tracked on 12 December 1966. Freight traffic ended in 1963 and parcel handling in 1970. The station has been unstaffed since 1 March 1985 and is managed from Ōtsuki Station. With JNR's privatisation on 1 April 1987 it became part of JR East, and Suica IC card service began on 16 October 2004.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
On 6 September 1945 a downbound train overran the bumper at Sasago and derailed, killing 60 and injuring 91 in one of the worst accidents on the Chūō Main Line.