How Japan built a 3D-printed train station in 6 hours

The first morning train leaving Hatsushima station after the new building was assembled in Arida, Japan, on March 26. PHOTO: NORIKO HAYASHI/NYTIMES

Kiuko Notoya

UPDATED Apr 15, 2025, 08:24 AM

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ARIDA, Japan – In the six hours between the departure of the night’s last train and the arrival of the morning’s first one, workers in rural Japan built an entirely new train station. It will replace a significantly bigger wooden structure that has served commuters in this remote community for more than 75 years.

The new station’s components were 3D-printed elsewhere and assembled on site in March, in what the railway’s operators say is a world first.

It may look more like a shelter than a station, but building one the traditional way would have taken more than two months and cost twice as much, according to the West Japan Railway Co.

As Japan’s population ages and its workforce shrinks, the maintenance of railway infrastructure, including outdated station buildings, is a growing issue for railway operators. Rural stations with dwindling numbers of users have posed a particular challenge.