JR Freight Vehicle Depot Undergoes Major Renovation After 83 Years, Restoration of Nine Bridges on the Misasa River, Landslide on Ikuchijima Island—The Lifespan of Hiroshima’s ‘Supporting Infrastructure’ is Concurrently Approaching Its Limits

In Hiroshima, three “supporting infrastructures” have simultaneously raised their voices.

The JR Freight Hiroshima Vehicle Depot, established in 1943, is set to undergo a major renovation for the first time in 83 years. The restoration of nine bridges on the Misasa River, which were damaged in the 2018 Western Japan Heavy Rain, has finally been completed. Additionally, a landslide on Ikuchijima Island in Onomichi City has caused power outages for approximately 900 households. None of these events are likely to make flashy headlines. However, when these three are considered together, what emerges is the fact that “the structures that have supported our daily lives are reaching their limits almost simultaneously.”

While discussions about new arenas and semiconductor factories dominate the news, the systems that support logistics, local roads, and slope stability—essentially the very foundation of our lives—are quietly nearing the end of their useful life. Who benefits from this, and who bears the burden? Let’s trace the three sites in order.

—

Repairing a Place That Has Been Maintained for 83 Years

The JR Freight Hiroshima Vehicle Depot is a general inspection and repair base for freight vehicles located in Higashi Ward, Hiroshima City. Established in 1943 as a vehicle factory under the Ministry of Railways during World War II, it was affected by the atomic bomb blast in 1945. It is said that distortions from the time of the bombing still remain in the building’s steel frame. Through post-war reconstruction, rapid economic growth, and the privatization of Japan National Railways, this depot has continued to be a “place for repairing vehicles,” adjusting its role with each change in the era.

The fact that there has never been a major renovation in 83 years reflects the culture of the railway industry itself, which emphasizes “continuing to use while repairing.” However, the aging of the building has reached its limits in terms of both working conditions and safety. Roof leaks, wear on crane rails, and cracks in the floor have made it a norm for the repair base to require repairs itself.

The renovation plan will focus on seismic reinforcement of the building, as well as the reconfiguration of inspection lines and equipment updates. In response to the 2024 issue—the strengthening of regulations on overtime work for truck drivers—JR Freight has positioned the modal shift to rail freight as a core part of its management strategy. The Hiroshima Vehicle Depot is a key supply point for vehicles in the Sanyo area, and if it stops, the entire freight transport plan for western Japan will be affected. If the renovation enhances inspection capacity, it will contribute to stabilizing transport capacity through improved vehicle utilization.

Notably, this renovation is being pursued with the policy of “updating functions while utilizing existing structures” rather than “rebuilding anew.” While preserving the historical context as a bombed building, the aim is to extend its life as an active industrial infrastructure. This decision is also influenced by practical constraints, as a long operational shutdown due to rebuilding is to be avoided. There is no glamour in this approach. However, it represents a quiet and reliable arrangement to ensure that the “invisible blood vessels” of logistics do not stop.

—

The Return of the “Ordinary” After Eight Years—Restoration of Nine Bridges on the Misasa River

The heavy rains in July 2018 caused significant damage in Hiroshima Prefecture, resulting in 114 deaths and the destruction of 1,029 houses. The Misasa River basin, flowing through the Asakita Ward of Hiroshima City, was one of the affected areas. Multiple bridges spanning the river were damaged or washed away due to flooding and debris flows.

Approximately eight years later, the restoration work for the nine damaged bridges has recently been completed. The length of time makes the word “finally” appropriate.

When a bridge collapses, the area on the other side of the river becomes an “inaccessible place.” School routes are forced to detour, travel time to agricultural land doubles, and it becomes difficult for the elderly to visit hospitals. Bridges serve the simple function of “connecting” the lives on both banks. Therefore, when that connection is lost, the impact seeps into the corners of life in ways that are hard to quantify.

The restoration work is estimated to have cost around 1 billion yen in total. While it is eligible for national disaster recovery funding, the burden on local municipalities is not insignificant. Moreover, the restored bridges have merely “returned to their original state.” No new added value has been created. From the perspective of those prioritizing budget allocation, there is always an accountability issue when deciding to allocate 1 billion yen to “repairing something that was broken.”

Still—after eight years of using temporary detour routes, for the residents, the most pressing value was simply to “return to normal.” When local residents hear the news of the restoration’s completion, the response is likely not one of joy, but rather a quiet sense of relief. The return of the ordinary daily life. It is only after losing that “ordinary” that one realizes it was the bridge that supported it.

—

The Structure Revealed After Collapse—Landslide on Ikuchijima Island’s National Route

The landslide on the national route on Ikuchijima Island in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, has posed another angle on the issue of “supporting infrastructure.”

The collapse caused the national route to be closed, leading to temporary power outages for approximately 900 households. Ikuchijima Island is a key point on the Shimanami Kaido and is well-known as a tourist route. However, few people are aware of the condition of the national route, which serves as the island’s local road, and the slope that supports its shoulder.

The national route’s slope is shaped by cutting and filling to protect the road from the mountainside, and its surface is stabilized by concrete spraying, mortar, or vegetation. However, after several decades since construction, the internal drainage function deteriorates, leading to water accumulation between weathered bedrock and the surface layer. When heavy rain or prolonged rainfall occurs, the risk of collapse significantly increases.

Restoration costs are expected to range from tens of millions to 100 million yen, but the essence of the problem is not just about costs. There are countless similar “aged slopes” across the country. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s annual report on road maintenance, the number of locations judged to require “early action” or more has been increasing year by year. While the locations that should be proactively addressed are known, budgets and manpower are insufficient. As a result, the response of “repairing after collapse” has become the norm.

This structure is not just a story about Ikuchijima Island. It is a challenge shared by all of Hiroshima Prefecture, which has mountainous and island regions—and indeed, municipalities across the country with similar geological conditions.

—

A Single Structure Reflected in Three Sites

The vehicle depot that has been in use for 83 years. The nine bridges that took eight years to restore. The suddenly collapsed national route slope.

What these three have in common is that they are infrastructures that were “invisible until they broke” or “not widely reported even when they broke.” The freight vehicle depot is not visible to the public like a passenger station. Life bridges do not attract attention like traffic data for highways. The slopes are the “supporting roles” of the road, and it is only when they collapse that their existence is recognized.

However, these infrastructures are undoubtedly supporting someone’s daily life. If the freight vehicle depot stops, the timing of products arriving on supermarket shelves changes. If a bridge collapses, a child’s commute time increases by 30 minutes. If a slope collapses, the island loses power.

Currently, Hiroshima Prefecture is seeing a series of large-scale investment discussions, including the expansion of Micron Technology’s semiconductor factory, redevelopment around Hiroshima Station, and the opening of the soccer stadium “Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima.” These are important driving forces for the regional economy, and their significance cannot be denied.

However, the fact that the structures supporting daily life are simultaneously crying out for help beneath the glitz of these investments deserves closer attention. The budget for building new things and the budget for repairing old things come from the same wallet. How to prioritize their allocation is a question of “what kind of life do we want to protect?”

In 2014, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism designated that year as the “Year of Maintenance” and requested all municipalities to formulate infrastructure longevity plans. Ten years later, while plans have been developed, many municipalities are facing barriers in terms of budget, personnel, and technology during the implementation phase. The three sites in Hiroshima are revealing the concrete cross-section of those barriers.

—

Future Points of Interest

First, how the renovation of the JR Freight Hiroshima Vehicle Depot will progress without halting operations. The “surgery while moving” amid rising demand for freight rail could serve as a model case for aging railway facilities nationwide.

Second, after the completion of the restoration in the Misasa River basin, the next step will be the transition to “pre-disaster prevention.” When a similar scale of heavy rain occurs again, will the restored bridges be able to withstand it? From the perspective of basin flood control, the extent to which river improvements and bridge design can be coordinated will be questioned.

Third, how the case of Ikuchijima Island will elevate the priority of slope inspections and preventive maintenance. A discussion is needed to show with concrete numbers which is ultimately “cheaper”—the cost of restoration after collapse or the cost of prevention before collapse.

Above all, there are the people maintaining these “supporting infrastructures.” The technicians involved in inspections at the vehicle depot, the construction workers responsible for the bridge restoration, and the road managers continuing slope inspections—when things are going well, their work often goes unnoticed.

Rather than realizing only after something breaks, we should recognize what supports us. That imagination may slightly change the next budget allocation and the next policy decision.