The electrified and double-tracked railway is a commuter rail line in the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto Metropolitan Area, owned and operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West).

The Sagano Line forms part of JR West's "Urban Network".

The Sagano Scenic Railway (嵯峨野観光鉄道, Sagano Kankō Tetsudō) is a sightseeing railway that uses an abandoned section of the Sanin Main Line originally built in 1897.

In 1989, the Sanin Main Line was rerouted between the present day Saga-Arashiyama Station to Umahori to accommodate track duplication and electrification.

The track and stations were all formerly used by the Sanin Main Line and still owned by JR West, while the train is composed of a former JR West Class DE10 diesel locomotive and torokko open-sided cars (derived from the English "truck") converted from former freight gondola cars.