History
Sagamihara Station opened on 5 April 1941 as a station on the Japanese Government Railway, intended as the centerpiece of the Sagamihara Military Capital Plan. Just weeks later, on 29 April 1941, surrounding towns merged into Sagamihara-machi, with the new station serving as the area's front door; an older Odakyū station of the same name was simultaneously renamed Odakyū-Sagamihara to avoid confusion. The line passed to JNR after the war, then to JR East at privatisation on 1 April 1987. A new bridge-style station building opened on 20 October 1996, and the station became a Rapid stop on 14 March 1998. Suica was introduced on 18 November 2001, and smart platform doors began service on 27 September 2023.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-06-09.
Where the English and Japanese sources differ, this account follows the Japanese source.
Notes
Despite carrying the city's name, Sagamihara has never been the central station of Sagamihara City — that role belongs to Odakyū's Sagami-Ōno, since Sagamihara City has no historic urban core.