Fukushima's Iizaka Line: Keeping Business on Track

This is the Iizaka Line, a local private railway operated by Fukushima Transportation in Fukushima Prefecture.

Spanning just 9.2 km, this 12-station line runs through a serene landscape.

At first glance, the Iizaka Line might appear to be a typical rural railway.

However, during the morning and evening rush hours, it can get so crowded you might think you were riding a commuter train in a big city.

Maintaining a stable and profitable operation with an annual ridership of 2.4 million prior to the pandemic,

the Iizaka Line has been held up as an example for Japan's rural railways.

While the pandemic briefly caused a decline in business, passenger numbers have since rebounded.

The Iizaka Line attracts many passengers because it has worked its best to provide quality service as a local line.

We are consistently striving to enhance
customer convenience.

I think we have earned a considerable
amount of trust.

In today's program, we are taking a look at Fukushima Prefecture's Iizaka Line,

which continues to maintain a stable operation despite the challenges faced by many rural railways.

Located approximately 200 km north of Tokyo, Fukushima Prefecture is serviced by a total of 13 lines,

including JR East's Shinkansen, as well as conventional lines and third-sector and private railways.

Fukushima City where the Iizaka Line runs boasts a population of around 300,000.

In the city center, there is JR Fukushima Station and adjacent to it

is Fukushima Station of the Iizaka Line of Fukushima Transportation.

Fukushima Transportation, one of the prefecture's largest bus companies,

operates regional buses, highway buses, and chartered buses in the heart of the prefecture.

The Iizaka Line is operated by the railway department of Fukushima Transportation.

The Iizaka Line, which will be celebrating its 99th year in operation this year,

was originally built to take tourists to the hot springs located at the end of the line.

However, as the years passed, tourist numbers fell into decline.

The Iizaka Line changed dramatically when the land along the line was developed for housing.

During the period of high economic growth between the 1950s and the 1970s,

houses and apartment complexes were built along the line, rapidly boosting the population.

The line is convenient for shopping, offering
easy access to downtown,

and hot springs. The areas are highly sought-after.

The majority of the line, which runs almost 10 km

between Fukushima Station and Iizaka Onsen Station, is in a residential area.

Because of this, it plays an important role in the daily lives of the people who live there.

I'm going to Fukushima Station for shopping.

I don't have a car, so I'll be taking the train.

I used to drive to work.

The train is a convenient way
to get to downtown.

I came for a medical appointment today. There
are no other options other than buses,

so when I need to go somewhere,
I mostly rely on the Iizaka Line.

The Iizaka Line developed its services based on the people who use the railway.

One such service, is the number of train operations, which is high for a local railway.

The Iizaka Line shares the platform at Fukushima Station, the first stop on the line,

with Abukuma Kyuko, a third-sector railway.

According to the Iizaka Line timetable, the train runs every 15 minutes in the morning and evening,

and two to three times an hour during the day, totaling 105 trains per day on weekdays.

That number is especially high when compared to the schedule of the neighboring Abukuma Kyuko.

Reducing the frequency would lead
to a decrease in passengers.

We're aiming to maintain the current frequency
while ensuring convenience.

The Iizaka Line introduced IC cards in 2015 to cope with station congestion in the mornings and evenings.

This further increased convenience for the line's passengers.

More and more rural railways are now operating "one-man" trains

due to staff shortages and to reduce costs.

However, on the Iizaka Line, all trains have a conductor onboard.

During the daytime, there are more elderly passengers, so the conductor's main job is to provide peace of mind.

The conductors' responsibilities include operating the train doors and collecting fares at unstaffed stations,

which keeps them busy due to the short distance between stations.

They also provide assistance to passengers, like the elderly and tourists.

In addition to the staff onboard, passengers will also find railway personnel at the stations.

Out of the 12 stations on the Iizaka Line, only two are unstaffed.

Three of the Line's stations are fully staffed throughout the day,

while the remaining seven stations are staffed during the morning and evening rush hours.

In addition to selling and collecting tickets, station staff are responsible for guiding passengers and performing other safety-oriented duties.

By having staff at each station and conductors
on the trains, we are constantly striving

to enhance passenger convenience
and safety.

The company believes that maintaining such meticulous human service has helped minimize the decline in user numbers.

I personally founded really nice to see on the Iizaka Line there are always two members of staff on the trains and then out of 12 stations,

only two are unstaffed meaning there's always a personal connection to the railway.

And actually this Iizaka Line is an urban railway running in the city of Fukushima,

and the City of Fukushima is believed to have the population enough to justify this kind of railway.

Having said that Japan as a whole, has the aging population.

And that means that the decline in ridership in the future is almost inevitable.

So, from that point of view, this strategy of maintaining enough members of staff

so that passengers can get help as they wanted is a good one, from the point of view of maintaining the ridership.

Mentioning another thing is maintaining ridership but also maintaining daily operations,

we've seen quite a lot of railways who decided to cut down on daily operations in order to save costs.

But this line managed to maintain their frequency which I think also stops a further decline in ridership due to inconvenience.

Yes that's right. If a railway operator decide to start to cut the frequency of the trains,

then what is likely to happens is that more passengers will choose not to go by rail,

and then the ridership will decline further and then the railway operator might want to

decrease the train frequency even further and then the vicious circle starts to turn.

So from that point of view, maintaining the frequency is a really good strategy.

- And I do hope that the effort seen on the Iizaka Line in this direction will continue on willing to the future.
- Yes.

Now, let's see how the Iizaka Line is trying to attract tourists.

The train leaves Fukushima Station and arrives at Iizaka Onsen Station,

the last stop on the Iizaka Line, in approximately 25 minutes.

The Japanese-style station building was built to match the streetscape of the hot spring resort area.

Iizaka Onsen is a hot spring resort area that dates back to the 14th century.

During its peak in the 1970s, it attracted as many as 1.7 million tourists a year.

Iizaka Onsen still welcomes around 600,000 people per year,

however, the number of people using the Iizaka Line is declining.

We think a significant number of tourists heading
to Iizaka Onsen prefer using cars.

We're always pondering if there's a way to encourage
these people to switch to train travel.

So, what the Iizaka Line and Iizaka Onsen Tourist Association jointly introduced is this bundle ticket.

It's a one-day pass on the Iizaka Line along with admission to any one of the 20 hot spring facilities.

Moreover, by presenting the ticket you can get a discount on the entrance fee

to the art museum located in the hot spring area.

Recently, more and more people have been enjoying day-trips to the hot springs

instead of staying at nearby Japanese inns ,or ryokan.

As a result, around 300 of these tickets which were made for day-trippers are sold each month, mostly on weekends.

It's not often you get the chance to enjoy both hot springs
and train rides, so we decided to take this opportunity.

We came from nearby, you know. We can
drink since we're not driving.

To increase passenger numbers even further,

the company is also working on projects and events to attract railfans to the Iizaka Line.

This is the Iizaka Line's rolling stock depot.

In 2014, an event was held here to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the line's opening.

At the time, the area was crowded with families and rail fans.

At the event, elementary school students got the chance to experience driving a train.

The experience was incredibly popular.

At the time, many adults requested to drive the train as well.

So in 2017, the railway began holding "train driving experiences."

On this day, 13 participants from inside and outside the prefecture

have come to Sakuramizu Station, where the train depot is located.

Most of today's participants are experiencing driving a train for the first time.

In the morning, the participants attend a one-hour lecture in the training room on how trains work and their operation.

After the lecture, the participants move to the train depot for an under-floor tour of the train.

A staff member explains the functions of the control boxes and equipment

which can't usually be seen in a simple and easy-to-understand manner.

And now the driving experience begins.

The train cars used are the same that carry passengers every day.

The driving experience takes place on a 70-meter section of the line at the depot.

The cab of this train features a single-handle,

integrated acceleration and braking system, making it easy to operate.

The participants go back and forth several times to get the hang of driving and braking.

The initial acceleration went smoothly, so it was
a pleasurable first-time experience.

If you pull the lever, it accelerates, but
timing the brakes is quite challenging.

Unlike in video games, here the safety system
can kick in depending on the lever operation.

So, even minor things can cause it
to stop, which adds to the difficulty.

The driving experience ends with a contest to see who can stop closest to the mark.

10cm short.

10cm over.

The winner is Mr. Kitagawa, with a deduction of
minus one point. Congratulations!

As a commemoration of this, I will strive
in my work from tomorrow.

If there's another chance, I would
like to come again!

The company has also launched a service for people living along the line who do not use the train.

This way station is Soneda Station.

In 2022, the station building was reopened, having been renovated

to look like the original structure, which was built in 1942.

A coffee shop was built inside the station building.

Here, visitors can enjoy roasted coffee, sweets, and lunch sets.

Also, located next to the station building, are two vehicles that were retired in 2019.

One of the vehicles is now being used as a waiting room for passengers waiting for the train.

The other vehicle is a coworking space.

The inside, which has been renovated, features 12 partitioned spaces with wooden chairs and desks.

Each space is equipped with a power outlet and a desk light, plus there's free wireless internet.

You can also take in your own food and drink.

This place is quiet and conducive to concentration,
so I use it during test periods.

The coffee shop and working space are open to everyone, regardless of train use,

so they're widely used by students and business people alike.

Commuters are regular customers, so when considering
growth potential, it becomes crucial to focus on

expanding non-regular customers
who don't use train passes.

When trying to attract tourists ideally you want to attract visitors

that come back again and again and again and I think the Iizaka Line has done a great job,

attracting two different fan bases, the hot spring enthusiasts and also the railway fans

so hopefully they will not just come once but several times.

I do think that's the idea of the collaboration tickets is a really good one.

And I do hope that the railway company and the local community as a whole try many more new ideas.

And I do think that there are many untried ones.

For example, the railway company would want to attract more people who used to drive to the hot spring area.

And I think there are some ideas to actually realize it.

I love also the idea of reusing that old train set is a waiting room and a workspace.

I would like to do some work there.

Next up is, tourist trains in style where we introduce amazing trains from all over Japan.

The Ozatoro Tembo Train is a tourist train operated by Aizu Railway, a third-sector company in Fukushima Prefecture.

It runs approximately 45 km between Aizu-Wakamatsu Station on the JR line and Aizu-Tajima Station.

The train, which makes frequent stops, is convenient for tourists

wanting to visit the hot springs and sightseeing spots along the line.

The train consists of two cars, Car 1 is designed as a trolley train car, without windows.

Car 2 has two types of seating.

These are "Ozashiki tatami" room seats.

You take off your shoes and sit down.

In the winter, a futon keeps you warm.

These are the observation seats.

The floor is raised to give passengers a better view.

The seat next to the driver is also open to anyone who has reserved an observation seat.

Onboard, an attendant distributes commemorative tickets and sells items at the concession stand.

At the stand, souvenirs and Aizu Railway original goods are available to purchase.

The train departs Aizu-Wakamatsu Station and arrives at Ashinomaki Onsen Station, the gateway to the hot spring area.

Since 2008, the station has had a mascot cat popular among tourists.

The current cat, is the 4th to be taking the position.

Many tourists come to see the cat, and many cat goods are sold at the store inside the station.

Leaving Ashinomaki Onsen Station, the train heads towards the mountains and six tunnels.

One creative way to keep passengers occupied while passing through long tunnels is...

Tunnel Theater!

Images are projected directly onto the tunnel walls from a projector installed on the ceiling of the train;

something that's only possible with trolley cars because there are no windows or walls to block the projection.

Passing through a number of tunnels, the train arrives at Yunokami Onsen Station.

Many passengers get off here.

The wooden station building features a "thatched" roof, which is rare in Japan.

This station building was modeled after an old private house in town,

built at the end of the 17th century, called "Ouchi-juku."

Leaving Yunokami Onsen Station, the train weaves its way along the river through the mountains.

When the train comes to a scenic spot, like a bridge over a canyon, the train stops for 2 minutes.

There are three such viewpoints along the way.

We don't often get to see greenery,
it's quite refreshing for our eyes.

It feels good and makes us happy. There aren't
many trains like this in Taiwan.

Finally, the train arrives at the last stop, Aizu Tajima Station,

the passengers having spent 1 hour and 30 minutes enjoying nature to the fullest.

The Ozatoro Tembo Train operates three times a day on weekends and holidays.

I like the three different types of seats because in order to experience them all

you kind of have to hop onto the train about three times at least.

Yes, that's right. And one unique feature of this tourist train is that

these are the trains in normal service, but with a rather special kind of seats.

- So, once you get a ticket you can hop on and hop off at any stations you like.
- Oh, right.

How is this connected to Tokyo?

Well, actually this Aizu Railway is part of a very long route starting Tokyo's Asakusa terminus, to Aizu Wakamatsu Station.

It is actually a very slow route, so you can enjoy many things along the way.

So if you want to take the scenic route, you can go all the way from Asakusa to Aizu-Wakamatsu?

- That's right.
- Fantastic.