Biwako Line

JR West began introducing "familiar" nicknames after privatization, replacing official names like Tōkaidō Main Line or Fukuchiyama Line. In an early naming survey for Maibara–Osaka, the informal JNR-era name "Kotō Line" placed first, but JR West chose "JR Kyoto Line" instead; "Biwako Line" was missing from JR West's own first list of nicknames, leaving Maibara–Kyoto without a name of its own. Shiga Prefecture and its assembly pushed for a locally rooted name — an extension of "JR Kyoto Line" sounded, in the prefecture, like a subordinate offshoot of Kyoto. JR West renamed the Maibara–Kyoto section "Biwako Line" on 5 February 1988, in use from the 13 March 1988 timetable revision.

The brand's extent grew northward as sections of the connecting Hokuriku Main Line were converted to DC. On 14 September 1991, Tamura–Nagahama converted from AC to DC power (20 kV to 1,500 V DC), letting Special Rapid and Local trains run through to Kyoto and Osaka, and Maibara–Nagahama joined the Biwako Line name. Nagahama–Tsuruga was converted to DC electrification on 21 October 2006, extending ranges further; that section parallels Lake Biwa's shore only to just short of Ōmi-Shiotsu and has never joined the brand — trains toward Tsuruga from Maibara are sometimes announced instead as "Hokuriku Main Line" or "Hokuriku Line."

JR West uses "Biwako Line" for passenger announcements and guidance, avoiding "Tōkaidō Main Line" there (though some fare tables and route maps still note "(Tōkaidō Line)" alongside it); this never changed the Tōkaidō Main Line's official status, and Central Japan Railway Company, whose network meets the route at Maibara, uses that name. Local newspapers and real-estate listings use the nickname, though awareness is uneven outside regular riders, who treat Biwako, JR Kyoto, and JR Kobe as one continuous route forming a core corridor of JR West's Urban Network across the Osaka–Kobe–Kyoto region, sharing the corporate blue line color — its symbol is "A" ("B" added over Yamashina–Kyoto, shared with Kosei Line trains).

Special Rapid service began in 1970 to compete on speed with other operators' lines in the Keihanshin area, reaching what is now Biwako Line territory the following year. Its services terminate at Nagahama, Maibara, or Yasu, some continuing on the Hokuriku Main Line to Ōmi-Shiotsu and Tsuruga; Local trains stop everywhere and mainly terminate at Maibara or Yasu. Special Rapid trains continue onto the JR Kyoto Line toward Osaka and beyond, and Local trains — except for some early-morning and late-night services — likewise continue onto the JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line. Service has since been updated repeatedly: the home-liner "Biwako Liner" (from October 1987) was replaced by the limited express "Biwako Express" on 1 June 2003 (renamed "Rakuraku Biwako" in 2024), with the KiHa 189 diesel car joining from March 2014 and the 271 series EMU joining "Haruka" from spring 2020. The 225 series (0 subseries) EMU entered service from December 2010, followed by the 100 subseries from July 2016; Minami-Kusatsu became a Special Rapid stop in March 2011, when Saturday/holiday Special Rapid trains were unified to 12-car formations, extended to nearly all weekday and weekend Special Rapid services from March 2017; station numbering followed in March 2018. From October 2021, daytime Special Rapid frequency between Nagahama and Maibara was cut to one train per hour. The line remains a principal Shiga Prefecture route linking Lake Biwa's eastern-shore cities to Kyoto, heavily used for commuting toward Kyoto and Osaka, with many trains through-operating onto the JR Kyoto Line and JR Kobe Line.

20 stations in route order, from the timetable data on the live map. Select any to read its page.

• Maibara米原
• Hikone彦根
• Minami-Hikone南彦根
• Kawase河瀬
• Inae稲枝
• Notogawa能登川
• Azuchi安土
• Omihachiman近江八幡
• Shinohara (Shiga)篠原
• Yasu (Shiga)野洲
• Moriyama (Shiga)守山
• Ritto栗東
• Kusatsu (Shiga)草津
• Minami-Kusatsu南草津
• Seta (Shiga)瀬田
• Ishiyama石山
• Zeze膳所
• Otsu大津
• Yamashina山科
• Kyoto京都

• 1970The Special Rapid (Shinkaisoku) service begins running in the Keihanshin area, aimed at speed competition with other railway operators' lines.
• 1971Special Rapid service begins operating over what is now the Biwako Line section, one year after its introduction.
• 1988On 5 February, JR West renames the Maibara–Kyoto nickname to "Biwako Line" after requests from Shiga Prefecture and its assembly for a locally rooted name; the name enters use with the 13 March timetable revision.
• 1991On 14 September, the Hokuriku Main Line's Tamura–Nagahama section is converted from AC to DC electrification, allowing through service to Kyoto and Osaka; the Maibara–Nagahama section is added to the Biwako Line nickname.
• 2003On 1 June, the home-liner "Biwako Liner" (running since October 1987) is discontinued and replaced by the limited express "Biwako Express."
• 2006On 21 October, the Nagahama–Tsuruga section is also converted to DC electrification and train operating ranges extend further, though this section is never brought under the Biwako Line brand.
• 2010From 1 December, the 225 series (0 subseries) EMU begins operating Special Rapid and local services on the line.
• 2011On 12 March, Minami-Kusatsu becomes a Special Rapid stop and Saturday/holiday Special Rapid services between Kyoto and Maibara are unified to 12-car formations.
• 2014From March, the KiHa 189 series diesel car begins operating the "Biwako Express" limited express.
• 2017From the 4 March revision, nearly all weekday and weekend/holiday Kyoto–Maibara Special Rapid services are unified to 12-car formations.
• 2018In March, station numbering is introduced across the line, continuing the numbering sequence used on the Hokuriku Main Line.
• 2020From spring, the 271 series EMU joins the "Haruka" limited express.
• 2021From 2 October, daytime Special Rapid frequency between Nagahama and Maibara is reduced to one train per hour.
• 2024On 16 March, the limited express "Biwako Express" is renamed "Rakuraku Biwako."