Miyako Station was absorbed into the JR East network upon the privatization of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987.

The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011 destroyed much of the tracks and many stations between Miyako and Kamaishi.

In February 2012, JR East officially proposed that this section of the line be scrapped and the right-of-way used as a bus rapid transit (BRT) route.

[1] Afterwards, this decision was reversed, and as of 2018 the Yamada Line have been reconstructed between Miyako and Kamaishi.

On 23 March 2019,it reopened and be transferred to Sanriku Railway, resulting in a one-seat ride between Kuji and Ofunato.