The West Japan Railway Company opened the world’s first 3D-printed train station in Arida, Wakayama Prefecture. The station’s components were printed abroad and assembled on-site in record time, taking only six hours. This pioneering initiative represents a big step forward in railway infrastructure development.
The new facility, Hatsushima Station, replaces an ageing wooden structure built in 1948. Since 2018, the station has been automated, and it serves roughly 530 people per day. The West Japan Railway Company worked with Serendix, a construction firm, to build the station’s components. The printing process, which was reinforced with concrete, took seven days.
The prefabricated sections were manufactured in Kumamoto Prefecture and transported approximately 800 km to the site. Construction began after the final train left at 11:57 p.m.; by 5:45 a.m., the station was complete. Workers used cranes to arrange the preprinted mortar components efficiently.
The last inside installations, which include ticket machines and transport card readers, are slated to be completed by July. The study shows how Japan’s railway industry is using innovative technologies to address labour shortages and infrastructural issues. Traditional construction methods would have taken more than two months and cost twice as much.
