Initially, Kintetsu examined the possibility of conducting the business independently, but considering the availability of subsidiaries it was decided that the business should be conducted based on a joint public-private venture; thus the Nara Ikoma Rapid Railway Co., Ltd., a joint public-private venture, was established in 1998 as the primary enterprise for the construction.
当初は近鉄独自で事業にあたることが考えられていたが、建設費の補助を受けられる第三セクター方式を採ることになり、1998年に建設主体として第三セクター会社の奈良生駒高速鉄道が設立された。