In the six hours between the departure of the last train in the evening and the arrival of the first train in the morning, Japanese country workers built an entirely new station. This replaces a rather large wooden structure that has served commuters in this remote community for over 75 years.
Components from the new station were 3D printed elsewhere and assembled on site last month. According to the West Japan Railway Company, it may look more like a shelter than a station, but building the traditional method would take more than two months and twice as much.
As Japan’s population and its labor force shrink, maintaining railway infrastructure, including outdated station buildings, is a growing problem for railway operators. Country stations, where the number of users is declining, have raised certain challenges.
The new station, Akishima, is located in a quiet seaside town that is part of Alida, a city of 25,000 people, located in Tayama Prefecture, adjacent to two popular tourist destinations, Osaka and Nara prefectures. The station is offered on a single line with trains running one to three times per hour, serving approximately 530 riders per day.
Yui Nishino, 19, uses it every day for his college commute. She said she was surprised when she first heard that the world’s first 3D printed station building would be built here.
“Looking at that, the work is progressing at a rate that is impossible with normal construction,” she said. “We hope they can create more buildings with 3D printing technology.”
Serendix, a construction company that collaborated with Nishi Nippon Railway on the project, said it would take seven days to print the parts and reinforce them with concrete.
The printing was carried out at a factory in Kumoto Prefecture on the southwestern island of Kyushu. The parts left the factory on the morning of March 24th and were transported by road to Minato Station about 500 miles northeast.
“Trains don’t usually run every night, but construction takes place over several months,” said Kunihiro Handa, co-founder of Serendix. Construction work near commercial lines is subject to strict restrictions and is usually carried out overnight to avoid destroying the timetable.
As trucks carrying 3D printed parts began to be drawn into a Tuesday night in late March, dozens of residents gathered to see the first scene begin in a place deeply familiar to them.
After that, after the final train was pulled away at 11:57pm, workers became busy building a new station.
Within less than six hours, pre-described parts made from special mortar were assembled. They were delivered by separate trucks and large cranes were used to lift each one, and workers were stitching them together just a few feet away from the old station.
The new station, which measures over 100 square feet of measurements, was completed before the first train arrived at 5:45am. This is a minimalist, white building with designs that include the specialization of Mandarin Orange and Scabold Fish and Alida.
Just like equipment such as ticket machines and transportation card readers, interior work was still needed. West Japan Railway said it is expected to open a new building for use in July.
Railway officials say they hope to show how stations can maintain new technology and how to maintain services in remote areas with fewer workers.
“We believe the importance of this project lies in the fact that the total number of people in need will be significantly reduced,” said Ryo, president of JR West Innovations, a venture capital unit of railway operators.
The wooden building that the new station will replace was completed in 1948. Since 2018, it has been automated like many small stations in Japan.
Toshifumi Norimatsu, 56, who manages the post office hundreds of feet away, had a bittersweet feeling about the new building.
“It’s a bit sad that the old station is being overthrown,” he said. “But I would be happy if this station could become a pioneer and benefit other stations.”
