Haneda Airport Access Line

JR East's planned railway link between Tokyo Station and Haneda Airport. The Higashi-Yamate Route reuses an existing freight branch while a new Access Line tunnel (approx. 5.0 km) extends to the airport terminals. The project targets a fiscal 2031 opening, cutting Tokyo Station–Haneda to around 18 minutes without a transfer.

Bringing Tokyo Station to Haneda Airport in 18 Minutes

The Haneda Airport Access Line (tentative name) is a new railway project by JR East designed to connect central Tokyo directly to Haneda Airport. Ground was broken in June 2023 and the line targets a fiscal 2031 opening. Once the Higashi-Yamate Route — the section now under construction — is complete, passengers will be able to travel from Tokyo Station to Haneda Airport in approximately 18 minutes without changing trains.

Today, reaching Haneda from Tokyo Station by rail requires a transfer: either switching to the Tokyo Monorail at Hamamatsucho or to the Keikyu Line at Shinagawa, with the fastest journeys taking around 28 minutes. Haneda has long held the awkward distinction of being the airport JR simply cannot reach directly. This project changes that calculus.

Dormant Freight Track Meets a New Tunnel

The route is built in two parts. The first repurposes the Daishio Line — a freight-only branch of the Tokaido Main Line between Tamachi and Tokyo Freight Terminal — converting long-dormant infrastructure into a new passenger corridor. The second is a purpose-built Access Line of approximately 5.0 kilometres, running almost entirely underground from Tokyo Freight Terminal to a new station set between Haneda’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The combined estimated project cost for the Higashi-Yamate Route and Access Line is approximately 280 billion yen.

Beyond the Higashi-Yamate Route, planning also covers a Nishi-Yamate Route connecting towards Shinjuku and Shibuya, and a Rinkai Route, which together would link Haneda to multiple urban hubs when fully realised.

Summary

The Haneda Airport Access Line targets fiscal 2031 as its opening year, and the Access Line tunnel section alone adds approximately 5.0 kilometres of new underground infrastructure near the airport. Walking the Tamachi–Hamamatsucho corridor today, the physical signs of construction are already visible — freight-track infrastructure being transformed into a public transit route. The airport that JR could not reach is getting a direct connection, and the city around the freight yards is already rearranging itself around that fact.

Related: Tokyo Monorail / Takanawa Gateway

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