The name "Uetsu" refers to the ancient provinces of Dewa (出羽) and Echigo (越後), which the line connects.

Symbols: The line was opened in sections between 1912 and 1924, and electrified in 1972, the same year CTC signalling was commissioned.

[citation needed] On July 28, 2022, JR East announced that ridership in some sectors was less than 2000 persons/day, the deficit for the sector between Murakami Station to Tsuruoka Station being 4,990 billion yen, the largest deficit within the JR East system.

[2][3] On December 25, 2005, all six cars of a limited express train Inaho No.14 on the Uetsu Line derailed in Yamagata prefecture, about 350 kilometres (220 mi) north of Tokyo.

Three other persons were originally reported missing, but authorities later discovered that they had disembarked from the train before the accident.