MR  Mie Rapid (快速みえ kaisoku-mie) Kintetsu and JR Central have parallel lines running all the way from Nagoya to Toba that compete heavily.

Though mostly built by a private company, the line was owned and operated by the Japanese national government for 80 years before becoming part of JR Central.

However, the Sangū Line maintained its competitive edge in the 1940s and 1950s because Kintetsu was, at the time, not yet able to offer direct service from Nagoya due to differences in track gauge, so passengers that were coming to Ise Grand Shrine via Nagoya were forced to change trains during the journey if they took Kintetsu, thus many people opted to take the government-owned Kokutetsu option instead since it was direct.

Kokutetsu was even advised in 1968 to permanently close the Iseshi to Toba section of the line, however they opted instead to discontinue direct express service from various major cities in the following years.

However in 1991, the train was renamed to its current name of Mie Rapid and services were extended to the Sangū Line to serve Ise, Futami and Toba.

The Mie Rapid has been successful at making JR a more viable option for tourists visiting the Ise-Shima area, though Kintetsu still maintains superior passenger numbers.

In May 2007, the chairman of the Akafuku group, Masutane Hamada, suggested that the Sangū Line be closed and the train inspection depot at Iseshi Station be transformed into a parking lot.

Hamada has tried to point out to other leaders in the area, including the Mayor of Ise, that "the Sangū Line is a large-scale obstruction and the Iseshi Station depot could hold 1000 cars if turned into a parking lot".

JR Central, opposes Hamada's proposal and the company president has said he has not heard widespread demand for the line to be closed.