Japanese railway shelter replaced in less than 6 hours by 3D-printed model
Hatsushima is not a particularly busy station, relative to Japanese rail commuting as a whole. It serves a town (Arida) of about 25,000, known for mandarin oranges and scabbardfish, that is shrinking in population, like most of Japan. Its station sees between one to three trains per hour at its stop, helping about 530 riders find their way. Its wooden station was due for replacement, and the replacement could be smaller.
The replacement, it turned out, could also be a trial for industrial-scale 3D-printing of custom rail shelters.