A major railway operator in Japan is embarking on a journey to build what it says will be the world’s first 3D-printed train station.
The new station structure, measuring about 108 square feet, will be located in the southern prefecture of Wakayama, 60 miles south of Osaka, Japan’s third most populated city, West Japan Railway (JR West) said last week.
It will replace a weathered wooden complex that has been sheltering commuters at Hatsushima Station, it added.
A computer rendering shows a minimalist white shed under a curved roof, with a slice of mandarin oranges — which are grown in the area — carved on its facade.
The station, eki in Japanese, is a gateway to Jinoshima, an uninhabited island where locals go for swimming, camping, and stand-up paddleboarding.
The nearby Arida City is home to local fishing ports and a breathtaking mountain range dotted with orange groves.
Structural components will be prefabricated with 3D-printing technology before they are ferried to the site, where workers are expected to assemble them within six hours, JR West said.
Work will begin after the last train runs on March 25, according to local media.
Joining the project is construction firm Serendix, known for building futuristic-looking homes with 3D printing technology.
It is not immediately clear why the lesser-known Hatsushima Station was chosen to be the home of the 3D printed station, but JR West said the project will provide them and other Japanese transit companies a chance to explore “sustainable building materials and cutting-edge technologies” for other regions in the future.
