The Nara Line is a part of the JR West "Urban Network" in the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe area.

Its primary role is that of an intercity-suburban commuter line, ferrying people to and from work and school in Kyoto and Nara; it is also well-used by tourists holding the Japan Rail Pass, as visiting the historical landmarks of Uji and Nara makes an easy day-trip from Kyoto.

At Nara, travelers can change trains to continue westward to Hōryūji and JR Namba, or head south on the Sakurai Line (Man'yō Mahoroba Line) toward the many shrines, temples and archaeological sites of Tenri and Sakurai.

However, there are many through trains to the Kintetsu Nara Line from Kyōto Station, so "JR" is often appended for clarity.

The official line color used on JR West route maps and station guides is brown.

As such, all stations are outfitted with card readers for ICOCA and compatible smart fare-cards; however, Nagaike – Kamikoma are unmanned, and have only simplified automatic ticket gates.

In 1921, on the day that the Tōkaidō Main Line was re-routed from its original path to the new Baba (Zeze) – Kyoto alignment via the Higashiyama Tunnel, the Kyoto – Inari portion of the old route became part of the Nara Line, and new track was laid between Inari and Momoyama.

The turning point for the Nara Line was only after Japanese National Railways was privatized, and it became part of the JR West network.

An article in the Asahi Shimbun from 1991, the same year as JR announced it would be pumping capital into the Nara Line, described the perceived cause for this sudden interest as follows: "During [the previous year's] string of visits by the new Emperor and Empress, their Majesties arrived in Kyoto via JR Central's Tōkaidō Shinkansen, then immediately boarded the Kintetsu line for Nara, ignoring the local JR West trains entirely.