Old wooden Harajuku Station to be demolished

NHK -- Nov 20
East Japan Railway says it will tear down Harajuku Station, the oldest wooden station building in Tokyo, after the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in the metropolis.

JR East announced on Tuesday that it reached the decision after consulting with Shibuya Ward, where the station is located, and local retail associations.

The aging structure will be replaced with a new one now being built adjacent to it. The new station is expected to be completed on March 21 of next year.

The current station building was built in 1924.

The railway operator says the old structure is not sufficiently fire resistant.

The company says it will use materials that comply with fire resistance standards to re-create the European-style station after pulling it down.

It says that despite calls to retain the historic landmark, it decided on the demolition for safety reasons.

- NHK

来年3月に向けて建て替え工事が進むJR原宿駅の現在の木造駅舎が来年の東京オリンピック・パラリンピック後に解体されることになりました。 　JR原宿駅は現在の駅舎が老朽化したため、隣に新たな駅舎を造る工事が進められていて、来年3月21日の始発から新駅舎での運行が始まることになっています。JR東日本は19日の会見で、現在の駅舎を来年の東京オリンピック・パラリンピックの大会後に解体することを明らかにしました。現在の駅舎は1924年（大正13年）に建てられたもので、都内では最も古い木造駅舎で地元などからは保存を求める声が上がっていました。こうしたことを受け、JR東日本は何らかの形で駅舎を残すことを検討しています。 - ANNnewsCH
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