IGR Iwate Galaxy Railway

The section of the line between Morioka and Metoki first opened on 1 September 1891, and was nationalized on 1 November 1906. The line was double-tracked by 12 July 1968, and it was electrified on 22 August 1968. With the privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR) on 1 April 1987, the line came under the control of East Japan Railway Company (JR East). From 1 December 2002, with the opening of the parallel Tohoku Shinkansen extension to Hachinohe, ownership of the line was transferred to the third-sector Iwate Galaxy Railway Company.

All trains operate as local services, stopping at every station.

Trains from Morioka terminate at various stations along the line, including Koma, Takizawa and Iwate-Numakunai. No trains terminate at Metoki; trains serving the station continue as a through service to or from Hachinohe on the Aoimori Railway Line.