I visited Fukushima City for the first time in 9 years. What was new with the local railways in this northern city?
Let me quickly review Fukushima City to start. It's the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in Tohoku District, some 270 kilometers north of Tokyo. The population is about 270,000. The urban area is rather small, but it's bustling with throngs of local people. The city is surrounded by beautiful nature, and famous for the production of delicious peaches.
Now, let's get down to the main topic. After arriving at Fukushima station by Tohoku Shinkansen, I headed to Fukushima terminal of the Iizaka line, which is operated by a local company, Fukushima Kotsu. The Iizaka line is a 9.2 kilometers-long railway connecting Fukushima and Iizaka, which is known as a hot spring resort. The track is single and electrified. The electric system is 1,500 V DC with overhead catenaries.
Different from 9 years ago, the vehicles on the Iizaka line had been totally changed. The current model is the EMU 1000 series, which was transferred from Tokyu Railways in 2017. A total of 6 sets, 14 units, are operated on the line. They are second-hand cars, but look brand-new in my opinion. Specifically, the front design of the head cars looks different from the previous Tokyu 1000 series. It's not surprising, because these head cars had been modified from the middle cars of the Tokyu 1000 series. The driver's cabs were added later. To be continued...
