Württemberg Eastern Railway
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The Fils Valley Railway (, historically ''Filsbahn'' or ''Württembergische Ostbahn''—Württemberg Eastern Railway) designates the Württemberg line from
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
via
Göppingen Göppingen (; or ) is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the Goeppingen (district), district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company Märklin, and it is the birthplace ...
to
Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...
. It runs from
Plochingen Plochingen (; or ) is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It lies on the river Neckar, on which it has a river port. With about 14,000 inhabitants, it is part of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. Geo ...
to
Geislingen an der Steige Geislingen an der Steige () is surrounded by the heights of the Swabian Jura, Swabian Alb and embedded in 5 valleys. It is a town in the Göppingen (district), district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The name relates ...
through the Fils Valley.


History


Construction

The Fils Valley Railway was built as part of the first railway line in Württemberg connecting the navigable
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
in
Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...
via
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
with the navigable
Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
at
Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...
, with a further connection from Ulm to
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
. The Stuttgart-Esslingen section of the line was built as part of the Central Railway (''Zentralbahn'') between 1844 and 1846. The line was completed between Cannstatt and Esslingen on 22 October 1845 and the Rosenstein Tunnel was completed on 4 July 1846, allowing the first train to run into Stuttgart station on 26 September 1846. It was extended to
Plochingen Plochingen (; or ) is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It lies on the river Neckar, on which it has a river port. With about 14,000 inhabitants, it is part of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. Geo ...
in December 1846 and on 28 June 1850, the first train rolled over the new single-track line of the
Royal Württemberg State Railways The Royal Württemberg State Railways (''Königlich Württembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen'' or ''K.W.St.E.'') were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg (from 1918 the ''People's State of Württemberg'') between 1843 and 1920. Early ...
(''Königlich Württembergische Staats-Eisenbahnen''). The line is also considered as the first railway to cross a low mountain range in Europe because of the Geislinger Steige (''Geislingen Ramp''). The upward gradient amounts to 1:44.5 or 2.2%.


Electrification

The line was electrified in 1933. Before that special
helper engine A bank engine (United Kingdom/Australia) (colloquially a banker), banking engine, helper engine or pusher engine (North America) is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional Engine power, power or tractive ef ...
s helped push trains up the Geislinger Steige. Freight trains are still pushed up the slope by additional Class 151 locomotives between Geislingen West and Amstetten.


War damage

The Rosenstein Bridge across the
Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...
in Stuttgart was destroyed in the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Until its replacement by a temporary bridge, all services ended in Bad Cannstatt station, and a shuttle service operated between the Rosenstein Tunnel at the Neckar and Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof.Kurt Seidel: Die Remsbahn, Stuttgart, 1987, p 134 f


Development plans

Due to the high traffic levels on this line, the 1985 federal transport plan contained proposals for sections of new and upgraded track for this route. Planning options ranged from the upgrade of the existing line (which would not have permitted high-speed services) to the building of a completely new line between Plochingen and Günzburg, bypassing Ulm. All options considered would bypass the difficult Geislinger Steige section. In 2007, as part of the project Stuttgart 21, the option being pursued is the construction of the Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed railway, which would mean that long-distance service would no longer utilize the Fils Valley Railway.


Operations


Schedule and vehicles

All kinds of services run on the Fils Valley Railway. While the Stuttgart-Plochingen section is integrated into the
Stuttgart S-Bahn The Stuttgart S-Bahn is a suburban railway system (S-Bahn) serving the Stuttgart Region, an urban agglomeration of around 2.7 million people, consisting of the city of Stuttgart and the adjacent districts of Esslingen, Böblingen, Ludwigsb ...
network, ''
Regionalbahn The ''Regionalbahn'' (; lit. Regional train; abbreviated ''RB'') is a train categories in Europe, type of Regional rail, local passenger train (stopping train) in Germany. It is similar to the Regionalzug (R) and Regio (Swiss railway train), R ...
'' services run on the eastern sections of the line. These run from Plochingen to Geislingen and Geislingen to Ulm, usually once an hour, utilizing Class 425 or Class 426
electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
s or Class 110/ Class 143 locomotives hauling
Silberling The n-Wagen ("n-coaches") are a type of passenger coach used by Deutsche Bundesbahn and subsequently Deutsche Bahn. With two double-leafed doors per side to enable a high passenger throughput rate, the coaches were conceived for short dwell ...
carriages. '' RegionalExpress'' (RE) trains run hourly between Stuttgart and
Neu-Ulm Neu-Ulm (, ; Swabian: ''Nej-Ulm'') is the seat of the Neu-Ulm district and a town in Swabia, Bavaria. Neighbouring towns include Ulm, Senden, Pfaffenhofen an der Roth, Holzheim, Nersingen and Elchingen. The population is 58,978 (31 Decembe ...
(some continuing to
Donauwörth Donauwörth (; ) is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "R ...
), with additional hourly RE trains between Stuttgart Plochingen and
Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...
. They are operated by double decker carriages hauled by Class 146.2 locomotives. Some RE trains from Ulm continue through Stuttgart on the
Franconia Railway The Franconia Railway () is a railway line in the north of the German state of Baden-Württemberg and the Bavarian province of Lower Franconia that links Stuttgart and Würzburg. Its name comes from the fact that the majority of the line runs th ...
to
Mosbach Mosbach (; South Franconian: ''Mossbach'') is a town in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the seat of the Neckar-Odenwald district and has a population of approximately 25,000 distributed in six boroughs: Mosbach Town, Lohrbach, ...
-Neckarelz. ''InterRegioExpress'' Sprinter services operate between Stuttgart and
Lindau Lindau (, ''Lindau am Bodensee''; ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Lindou'') is a major Town#Germany, town and Lindau (island), island on the eastern side of Lake Constance (''Bodensee'' in German) in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital ...
, hauled by Class 146.2 locomotives to Ulm, or by two Class 218 diesel locomotives in order to pass the Geislinger Steige without a substantial loss of speed. ''
ICE Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
''s usually run over the ''Filsbahn'' on an hourly basis, without stopping. '' IC'' or '' EC'' trains generally also run hourly, stopping in
Plochingen Plochingen (; or ) is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It lies on the river Neckar, on which it has a river port. With about 14,000 inhabitants, it is part of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. Geo ...
and
Göppingen Göppingen (; or ) is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the Goeppingen (district), district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company Märklin, and it is the birthplace ...
, and occasionally also in
Geislingen an der Steige Geislingen an der Steige () is surrounded by the heights of the Swabian Jura, Swabian Alb and embedded in 5 valleys. It is a town in the Göppingen (district), district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The name relates ...
. From the winter timetable change of 9 December 2007, EC services will be replaced by French TGV POS services between
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. Several times per hour, sometimes heavy freight trains traverse the Fils Valley Railway, mostly consisting of mixed freight cars. Every so often, single-commodity trains (''Ganzzüge'') utilize the line.


Route

Beginning in
Esslingen am Neckar Esslingen am Neckar (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Esslenga am Neckor''; until 16 October 1964 officially '' Eßlingen am Neckar'') is a town in the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany, seat of the Esslingen (district), Distri ...
, the line, running alongside the Neckar, climbs gently but steadily until arriving in
Plochingen Plochingen (; or ) is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It lies on the river Neckar, on which it has a river port. With about 14,000 inhabitants, it is part of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region. Geo ...
; by the time it reaches
Süßen Süßen (or Süssen) is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located on the river Fils 8 km east of Göppingen, near Stuttgart. History Süßen was first mentioned with the name of ''Siezun'' ...
(384 metres above sea level) it has climbed 120 metres. From Süßen to Geislingen it climbs continuously another 100 m. Emerging out of the Fils Valley, the route makes a large curve around Geislingen (469 metres above sea level). During the 112 metres climb up the Geislinger Steige, there is a monument on the left to Michael Knoll, the designer of the entire line between Esslingen and Ulm. The summit is reached at Amstetten, at 582 m above sea level. The line reaches Ulm after running through the thinly settled
Alb An Alb is a liturgical vestment. ALB, Alb or alb may also refer to: * Alb, Alpine transhumance in Allemannic German Places * Alb (Upper Rhine), a tributary of the Upper Rhine in northern Black Forest near Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany * Al ...
highlands.


Modernisation

Since mid-2004, large parts of the Fils Valley Railway had been undergoing modernization activities. Tracks, points, ballast, and sleepers, which had consisted of oak beams soaked in mineral tar oil, and were over 40 years old, were replaced. Starting in 2005 in Stuttgart, going in the direction of
Göppingen Göppingen (; or ) is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the Goeppingen (district), district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company Märklin, and it is the birthplace ...
, the old signals of type Hp were being replaced piece by piece by new Ks-type signals, which were taken into service with the opening of a new automated electronic railway control center in Plochingen. The larger stations were outfitted with typical DB-style LCD departure information screens, which inform passengers of delays, cancellations, and other information. In Westerstetten, the old platforms by the station, which were located northwest and outside of the town, were replaced by a new halt in the center of the town, which was opened for service in August 2005. In the Easter holiday of 2006, the old railway control centers at Esslingen, Plochingen, Ebersbach, and Uhingen were closed, and the new automated center in Plochingen was opened. This centralized the electronic train traffic control system between Untertürkheim and Göppingen, as well as on the Neckar-Alb Railway section from Wendlingen to
Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
, which is where the central railway traffic control center for the southwest of Germany is located. Only one person, located there in case of emergency, remains in Plochingen. With the placement of 480 signals, the modernization of 160 switch operating units, and the earth-moving work necessary to lay the required cabling, the cost of this project was 80 million Euros.


See also

* History of the railway in Württemberg


References


Footnotes


Sources

* {{Authority control Railway lines in Baden-Württemberg Rail transport in Stuttgart Transport in Ulm Railway lines opened in 1845 Buildings and structures in Esslingen (district) Buildings and structures in Göppingen (district) Buildings and structures in Alb-Donau-Kreis Buildings and structures in Ulm Stuttgart S-Bahn Swabian Jura