What happens when Tokyo’s ubiquitous commuter trains reach the end of the line, so to speak, and are retired from service? For at least one type of railcar, life after service means a turn toward elevated design.
In 2023, private railway operator Tokyu Corporation retired 40 trains from its 8500 series that had been running on the capital’s Den-en-toshi Line since 1975. Rather than send the carriages to the scrap heap, the company decided to reach out to contemporary designers to explore ways of reimagining the materials into functional objects of design.
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