Try Adding Some Variety to Your Connections: As it turns out, there are several trains on the Noiwa Railway’s Aizu-Kinugawa Line and the Aizu Railway’s Aizu Line that are worth riding just for the sake of the ride itself. For example, the Noiwa Railway’s 6050 Series is one such train. The No’iwa Railway and Aizu Railway introduced trains identical in design to the Tobu Railway’s 6050 series for through service. However, in recent years, many have been taken out of service, leaving only two sets owned by the No’iwa Railway. The interior of these cars—with two doors and rows of box seats—is reminiscent of the old JNR express trains and remains quite popular among rail enthusiasts. Additionally, the Aizu Railway’s AT-700 series diesel multiple units, used on the “AIZU Mount Express,” feature swivel reclining seats throughout the car. For a rapid train that does not require a special fare, it boasts high-grade interior furnishings. As of 2026, the “AIZU Mount Express” operates one round trip per day, departing from Aizu-Wakamatsu in the morning bound for Kinugawa Onsen, then turning back to return to Aizu-Wakamatsu. Since the downbound train connects with the “Liberty Kinugawa” limited express departing from Asakusa, you can reach Aizu-Wakamatsu with just one transfer. On certain days, the “SL Taiju” also runs between Shimo-Imaichi and Kinugawa Onsen, so you may want to incorporate this into your itinerary. In addition, the local trains running on the Tobu Kinugawa Line (Shimo-Imaichi–Shin-Fujiwara) are the 20400 series, which were converted from the 20000 series electric trains formerly used on the direct service to the Hibiya Line. With such a variety of options, it’s certainly fun to hop from one train to the next. In fact, on my way back after covering the “SL Taiju ‘Tozu’,” I took the 6050-series Section Rapid (Aizu-Tajima–Shin-Fujiwara), a 20400 series local train (Shin-Fujiwara–Shimo-Imaichi), and finally the N100 series Spacia X (Shimo-Imaichi–Kita-Senju). Actually, I could have transferred to the “Liberty Kinugawa” limited express at Kinugawa Onsen, but I chose to prioritize the Spacia X instead. Beyond Aizu-Wakamatsu, you can also take the Ban’etsu West Line to Koriyama or Niigata to connect with the Shinkansen. This creates an even more varied route. In terms of the variety of train types, this route—centered on the Tobu Kinugawa Line, the Noiwa Railway Aizu-Kinugawa Line, and the Aizu Railway Aizu Line—might be second to none.
© Source travel watch