The new station will be built in Wakayama Prefecture, 60 miles south of Osaka. It will replace an old wooden passenger building at Hatsushima Station, West Japan Railway (JR West) announced last week.

The simulated image shows the station with a minimalist design in white, with a softly curved roof and a facade carved with slices of tangerine – a typical local fruit.

The station is the gateway to Jinoshima, an uninhabited island popular for swimming, camping and stand-up paddleboarding. Nearby, the city of Arida is known for its fishing port and orange groves that stretch across majestic mountains.

According to JR West, the main components of the station will be prefabricated using 3D printing technology, then transported to the construction site and fully assembled within six hours. Construction is expected to begin after the last train departs on March 25, according to local media.

The project is a collaboration with Serendix, a construction company specializing in futuristic buildings using 3D printing technology.

While it is unclear why Hatsushima Station was chosen for this pioneering project, JR West said it wanted to experiment with sustainable building materials and advanced technologies, opening up the potential for future applications in other areas.

Faced with a shrinking workforce due to an aging population – with more than 40% of Japan’s population expected to be over 65 by 2070 – JR West stressed that adopting 3D printing technology would not only help ease the burden on workers but also accelerate the modernization of the railway infrastructure system.

Ha Trang (according to West Japan Railway Group, CNN)