Its name means "the line to the west of the lake," indicating that it approximately parallels the western shore of Biwako.

Only few of limited express trains stop at Katata or Omi-Imazu and others skip all stations on the line.

Legends: Local (普通) trains stop at all stations, but they do not operate through services to the JR Kyoto Line.

Rapid (快速) trains operate only in the mornings, which heads south to the JR Kyoto Line.

[1] Only 4-car trains are capable of going as far as Tsuruga at the moment, and the rear eight cars in a 12-car set are uncoupled at Omi-Imazu Station.