History of the railway in Württemberg
Encyclopedia
The History of railways in Württemberg describes the beginnings and expansion of rail transport in Württemberg from the first studies in 1834 to today.
revolved primarily around the construction of canal
s, which were meant to connect the rivers Neckar
and Danube
, and the Bodensee, with each other. As a result of the advent of railways elsewhere, King William I of Württemberg
commissioned a study to determined whether the construction of railways instead of canals would be more appropriate. The report of the commission undertaking the study answered this question affirmatively, and recommended the construction of a railway between Stuttgart
and Ulm
, running through the valleys of the rivers Rems
, Kocher
, and Brenz. Toward the end of 1835, additional demands developed in Ulm for a railway running from Stuttgart, via Ulm, along the Fils
river, all the way to the Bodensee.
Despite the early and systematic state support of railway construction, it was another 10 years before the opening of the first railway in Württemberg. In the other larger states of the German Confederation
(Deutscher Bund), such as Bavaria
, Saxony
, Prussia
, Austria
, Braunschweig
, Baden
, and Hannover, at least one, and in some cases, several railways had been put into service by that time.
The late adoption was caused by the conclusion that the expensive construction of railways would not be cost-efficient in the relatively poor state. The total cost of building the main railways was thought to be about 30 million guilders, which was the equivalent of 3 years of the gross domestic product of Württemberg. This relatively costly estimate was largely due to the hilly topography of Württemberg, and in particular the need to cross the Schwäbische Alb added to the expense. This mountain range splits the state into two sections, and the steep escarpment on the northern edge, the Albtrauf, posed a particularly challenging obstacle. In the southwestern part, the Black Forest
formed part of the border with the neighboring state of Baden
. The planned routes, which were initially limited to running in river valleys, were also complicated by the interlocking of parts of the routes, such as in the Upper Neckar and Upper Danube valleys, with territory of the neighboring states of Baden and Hohenzollern.
The construction of railways in the neighboring states, and the possibility of profits due to transit traffic, plus advances in railway engineering and technology, and the fear to be left behind by the development in the adjacent territories, finally provided the needed impetus to start railway building in Württemberg.
These plans were completed in 1839, and were revised by the surveyors von Negrelli, Charles Vignoles, and Karl Etzel. The resulting central questions were:
The Royal Württemberg State Railways
(Königlich Württembergischen Staats-Eisenbahnen or K.W.St.E.) were intended as state railways (Länderbahnen
) from the beginning; applications for licenses to operate private railway companies (for example, the Württembergischen Eisenbahngesellschaft, which had been founded as a private company in 1836) were initially denied. The government, and King, were interested in preserving the rights of the state with a view on the profits foreseen in the rail transit traffic between states. The negotiation of railway connection rights between the neighboring states was a task for the state governments in any case.
On the 18th of April 1843, the Railway Law (Eisenbahngesetz)) was passed, which legislated the creation of the railways listed above. The same law restricted the investment of private funds in the area of secondary connecting railways (Sekundärbahn). This law was also the impetus for the founding of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen
, which became the primary operator and designer of railway construction and railway technology in Württemberg.
After the passage of the law, the Zentralbahn (Central line) was the first line to be started, which connected Stuttgart via two separate branches with Ludwigsburg
and Esslingen. Construction began in 1844, and the first section between Cannstatt und Untertürkheim was opened for service on the 22nd of October 1845, with the entire line completed in 1846. The Nordbahn was completed in 1848, and the Ostbahn and Südbahn were completed in 1850.
The Westbahn required negotiations with Baden
. These discussions were typical of the relationship of Württemberg with its neighboring states, which was marked by both cooperation and competition. Both sides were convinced of the necessity of a railway connection on the one hand, but at the same time, both states were also interested in keeping the transit traffic from the north inside their territory as much as possible. Württemberg would have liked a connection between Heilbronn
and Wiesloch
, and Baden was inclined to grant a connection via Durlach
–Pforzheim. By connecting in Bruchsal
, a compromise was reached. As a result of these negotiations, the Westbahn was constructed between 1850 and 1853, and subsequently put into service. In 1854, a connection to the Bavarian railway network was achieved in Ulm
.
The direct route Bretten
–Stuttgart–Ulm developed into the most important railway axis in Württemberg, and it came to be known as the Hauptbahn (Main line).
. Only in 1857 did the construction of railways restart in these areas of urgent need:
Of these projects, the first to be realized was the Upper Neckar Railway, with the section Plochingen–Reutlingen completed in 1859, the expansion to Rottenburg
in 1861, and to Eyach in 1864.
To open up the northeast of Württemberg, the initial plans called for a route from Heilbronn
through the Kocher
valley and via Hall
to Aalen
. Due to the technical difficulty of that route, it was abandoned and a route via Öhringen
, Hall, and Crailsheim
, then through the Jagst
valley to Aalen was planned instead. However, the new Railway Law of the 18th of November 1858 legislated only the construction of the Kocher Railway
to Hall, which was completed in 1862.
To get the railway into the east of Württemberg, in 1857 the state government had planned on a route branching off the Fils Valley Railway near Lonsee
to Heidenheim. After further exploration, this plan was found to be uneconomical, and was abandoned. Branching off in Uhingen
in the Fils
valley to Lorch
, and then running through the Rems
valley to Aalen, was thought to have a better chance of being realized. This route also offered a better connection to the Upper Neckar Railway. However, Bavaria
, which feared competition on its own north-south connection, indicated that it would not permit a connection to its railway network at Nördlingen
. For this reason, the Rems Railway
, running from Cannstatt to Waiblingen
, and from there alongside the Rems
river to Aalen and Wasseralfingen, was constructed, and opened for service in 1861. Also in 1861, the states of Württemberg
and Bavaria
signed a treaty, which codified the expansion of this line to Nördlingen, which was completed in 1863. However, that treaty did include an unfavorable clause for Württemberg, which prohibited the direct connection between Aalen and Ulm (later to become the Brenz Railway
) until 1875. For this reason, it was just a branch line that was constructed in 1864 to connect Aalen to Heidenheim.
, Baden
had secured the right to a possible connection in Mühlacker
to a railway coming from Pforzheim
. Baden completed this connection in 1863 (please see Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway), which meant that Mühlacker on the Württemberg side became a railway node, and grew in a short time from a village to a small city.
Any additional expansion of the rail network required negotiations with the neighboring states. Along with Bavaria
and Baden, the neighboring states included Prussia
, whose territory of Hohenzollern bordered on Württemberg, and Hessen, whose exclave Wimpfen was situated between Baden and Württemberg.
In 1864, three northerly connection points to the Odenwald Railway (Heidelberg
–Mosbach
–Würzburg
) in Baden were agreed upon:
A connection along the Neckar
in the direction of Eberbach
to the Hessian railway there, which was desired by Württemberg, did not materialize, due to opposition by Baden, which feared competition to its Rhine Valley Railway.
The above agreements meant the development of Jagstfeld and Crailsheim into railway nodes. The planned railways were constructed between 1866 and 1869, and Crailsheim was additionally connected to Goldshöfe station
(on the Rems Railway
) via the Upper Jagst Railway and Hall via the Hohenlohe Railway
.
In the south, Württemberg planned to expand its Upper Neckar Railway via Horb am Neckar
to Rottweil
. In addition, another line was planned from Stuttgart to Horb, which was meant to speed up that connection. The latter was possible in two alternatives: via Böblingen
and Herrenberg
(on the Gäu Railway (Stuttgart–Singen)), or via Weil der Stadt
, Calw
, and Nagold
(on the Black Forest Railway
). Based on the estimated expense, the latter option was initially chosen.
This railway was supposed to be able to connect to the railway network of Baden
south of Rottweil
, but Baden saw this line as competition to its Rhine Valley Railway. On the other hand, Baden was interested in a connection between Waldshut
, where it had a connection into Switzerland
, and Ulm
. That connection was seen by Baden as having the potential for profits via a connection between France
and Switzerland and the east. Württemberg
saw that line as competition to its Southern Railway
. Added to this picture was the complication that both of these desired lines would need to run through the territory of Hohenzollern, which would require negotiations with Prussia
. Prussia was interested in getting its city of Sigmaringen
onto the railway network in exchange for an agreement on these other railway plans. In 1865, all of these factors led to the following negotiated agreement on the construction of these railways:
The latter connection had to do with the concurrent construction of the Allgäu Railway, which meant that Aulendorf became a railway node. The agreement also included the closing of the gap to the Bodensee, which was not completed at this time.
These agreements resulted in great construction activity, which were only slightly delayed by the wars of 1866 (Austro-Prussian War
) and 1871 (Franco-Prussian War
). The railways along the Neckar were completed between 1866 and 1870; the lines in the Black Forest, inclusive of the connection Stuttgart–Calw–Horb, between 1868 and 1874. The connection Waldshut–Ulm was put into service in 1873, and 1875 saw the opening of the railways in the Allgäu
. The connection between Tübingen and Sigmaringen was constructed in several sections between 1869 and 1878.
. However, Article 42 of the constitution of the Reich demanded that the individual state railways would allow the administration of the railway network as one integrated unit in the interest of public transportation. The Reich railway office had the responsibility of overseeing railway activities. In addition, Article 41 of the constitution enabled the Reich government to order the construction of railways for military purposes.
Railway construction after the founding of the Reich, in particular construction to eliminate any gaps in east-west connections, can therefore be understood as having been done on behalf of the military, which demanded transportation capacity from the east to the French border. Also, the law legislating the management of the network as one unit offered the opportunity to Württemberg to finally achieve some of the connections which had been denied by neighboring states on the basis of unwanted competition.
Until 1890, Württemberg was focused on the completion of its main railways (Hauptbahnen). The most significant project at the time was the creation of a northeast-southwest axis, made up of the Murr Railway Schwäbisch Hall
–Hessental and the Gäu Railway Stuttgart
–Freudenstadt
, with a construction plan of 1872, and the completion of construction in 1879 and 1880. Both lines were further connected into Baden
and Bavaria
, and the Murr Valley Railway was expanded via two connecting lines to the Northern Railway, from Backnang
to Bietigheim
and to Ludwigsburg
.
Württemberg had also finally reached an agreement with Bavaria on the construction of the Brenz Railway
, which traveled across a section of Bavarian territory, and completed the connection between Heidenheim und Ulm. This railway was made possible by the expiration of the limitation on this connection in 1861, and was completed in 1876.
In 1873, an agreement was reached with Baden on the construction of the Kraichgau Railway
, which was constructed between 1878 and 1880 and traveled from Durlach
via Bretten
and Eppingen
to Heilbronn
, with one half of the line running through each state. Part of the agreement was the repurchase by Baden of the section Bretten–Bruchsal, which meant that the Württemberg section of the Western Railway only ran to Bretten. Lastly, the agreement made possible the by Württemberg desired connection Jagstfeld–Neckarelz–Eberbach, which was completed by Baden in 1879.
Other state railways were constructed in the Allgäu
region between Kißlegg
and Wangen
(1880) and further into the Bavarian Hergatz
(1890), and between Leutkirch and the Bavarian town of Memmingen
(1889). Alongside the upper Danube, the gap between Tuttlingen
and Sigmaringen was closed in 1890.
These additions meant the completion of the main line network in 1890. In 1899 and 1901, respectively, the finals gaps with the railways of Baden and Bavaria were closed in the Bodensee area. The railways in Württemberg were not only profitable, and supplied those profits to the coffers of the state government, but were also significant in the rapid advancement of industrialization in the state during the 19th century. Towns located on railways were attractive to industry, and often grew enormously as a result. The railway network has also proven to be long-lived; almost all of the network is still in use today, even though some sections have lost their earlier importance. The exceptions are:
The flip side of the economic success of the areas on the main railways was the fact that communities who were not connected to the network were left behind by the industrialization, and more and more pushed for their own integration into the railway net. The connection of these areas, which were often located in unfavorable spots from a geographic perspective, had already been thought about in the Railway Law of 1843, with permission for the construction of these secondary connections to be given to private companies.
The first of these railways was the connection between Unterboihingen (today called Wendlingen
) and Kirchheim unter Teck
(the Teck Railway), constructed in 1864 by the Kirchheimer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft. In 1873, the privately owned Erms Valley Railway was completed, in 1884 the Filder Railway joined this list, and in 1888 the narrow-gauge connection Ravensburg
–Weingarten–Baienfurt
was opened. The Altensteigerle between Nagold
and Altensteig
saw the start of an era of construction of branch lines by the state railways, and numerous state and private secondary railway lines were built by the 1920s.
The new branch lines were usually run through river valleys, and were built using standard gauge; in some cases, due to cost restrictions, narrow gauge was used. Very few of the branch lines were built to connect already existing lines, and building this type of connection by private companies was prohibited in any case.
In the Stuttgart
area a few bypass lines were added to relieve the pressure on the main station
at the state capital. These included the Schuster Railway from Kornwestheim
to Untertürkheim, completed in 1896, the Rankbach Railway from Böblingen
to Renningen
, completed between 1914 and 1915, as well as the construction of the shunting yard in Kornwestheim between 1918 and 1920.
, the constitution of 1919 brought to an end the independence of the state railways; on 1 April 1920, they joined to form the Reichsbahn. The former state railways directorate of Württemberg became the Reichsbahn directorate Stuttgart (Reichsbahndirektion Stuttgart). The railway network at the time was 2,153 kilometers in length.
Construction of new lines continued until 1928, and then ceased. The profitability of the railways had experienced a marked decrease, not only due to the economic crises of the time, but also due to the poor results of some of the branch lines. In addition, automobile passenger traffic started to become a competitor to the railways.
Among the railway openings worth mentioning before the start of World War II
are the section Klosterreichenbach–Raumünzach on the Murgtalbahn, completed in 1928, and the connection between Tuttlingen
und Hattingen
of 1934, which eliminated the hair pin curve in Immendingen for trains between Stuttgart and Singen
. Interestingly, the projects at the border between Baden
and Württemberg
were only completed under the aegis of the Reichsbahn.
, the railways became targets of numerous aerial attacks due to their military significance, and at the end of the war, many of the railway bridges were destroyed by the retreating Wehrmacht
troops. At the end of the war, the railway network was inoperable.
Württemberg was split into a northern American (called Württemberg-Baden
) and southern French (called Württemberg-Hohenzollern
) zone of occupation
. In both zones, the railways were quickly repaired as an important component of the rebuilding efforts. The French occupation forces were additionally interested in using rail transport to get reparations moved into France, and helped themselves to parts of the railway infrastructure itself, such as the deconstruction of the second track between Horb and Tuttlingen on the Gäu Railway. In 1952, Württemberg became part of the new state of Baden-Württemberg
.
After the reconstruction of the railway network, there was no additional new construction undertaken. The reason, as was the case in the rest of Germany, was the ever increasing share of passenger traffic utilizing automobiles, which also became the preferred transport method supported by the national government. This led to the elimination of passenger service on some lines, and the complete closing of other lines, starting at the end of the 1950s. This had the biggest impact on the branch lines constructed since 1890, with the newest lines seeing the most service reductions and closings.
In 1978, the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart
(VVS) was founded in Stuttgart, which manages and operates the Stuttgart S-Bahn
network in the Stuttgart area.
Since the railway reforms of 1994, which asked that the states take responsibility for their own regional and local transport networks, a slight trend toward the reopening of a few of the closed branch lines is apparent; examples are the Schönbuch Railway (1996), Erms Valley Railway (1999), or the Balingen
–Schömberg section of the Balingen–Rottweil line (2002).
The Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway was constructed by 1991 for ICE
trains, which replaced the use of the former Western Railway line in terms of long-distance connections. As part of the project Stuttgart 21
, which also includes a complete redesign and construction of a new Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
, a new high-speed railway between Stuttgart and Ulm
(Stuttgart–Wendlingen high-speed railway and Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed railway) is also planned, which would be used by ICE trains instead of the Fils Valley Railway.
Starting points
From the start of the 19th century, transportation planning in the Kingdom of WürttembergKingdom of Württemberg
The Kingdom of Württemberg was a state that existed from 1806 to 1918, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which came into existence in 1495...
revolved primarily around the construction of canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
s, which were meant to connect the rivers Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
and Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
, and the Bodensee, with each other. As a result of the advent of railways elsewhere, King William I of Württemberg
William I of Württemberg
William I was the second King of Württemberg from October 30, 1816 until his death.He was born in Lüben, the son of King Frederick I of Württemberg and his wife Duchess Augusta of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel .-First marriage:...
commissioned a study to determined whether the construction of railways instead of canals would be more appropriate. The report of the commission undertaking the study answered this question affirmatively, and recommended the construction of a railway between Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, running through the valleys of the rivers Rems
Rems
The Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
, Kocher
Kocher
The Kocher is a 168 km long right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, meandering river. The Kocher rises in the eastern foothills of the Swabian Alb from two karst...
, and Brenz. Toward the end of 1835, additional demands developed in Ulm for a railway running from Stuttgart, via Ulm, along the Fils
Fils
Fils or FILS can mean*Fils , a river in Germany*Fils , a subdivision of currency used in many Arab countries*fils, the French word for "son"*Firestone Indy Lights Series...
river, all the way to the Bodensee.
Despite the early and systematic state support of railway construction, it was another 10 years before the opening of the first railway in Württemberg. In the other larger states of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
(Deutscher Bund), such as Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
, and Hannover, at least one, and in some cases, several railways had been put into service by that time.
The late adoption was caused by the conclusion that the expensive construction of railways would not be cost-efficient in the relatively poor state. The total cost of building the main railways was thought to be about 30 million guilders, which was the equivalent of 3 years of the gross domestic product of Württemberg. This relatively costly estimate was largely due to the hilly topography of Württemberg, and in particular the need to cross the Schwäbische Alb added to the expense. This mountain range splits the state into two sections, and the steep escarpment on the northern edge, the Albtrauf, posed a particularly challenging obstacle. In the southwestern part, the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
formed part of the border with the neighboring state of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. The planned routes, which were initially limited to running in river valleys, were also complicated by the interlocking of parts of the routes, such as in the Upper Neckar and Upper Danube valleys, with territory of the neighboring states of Baden and Hohenzollern.
The construction of railways in the neighboring states, and the possibility of profits due to transit traffic, plus advances in railway engineering and technology, and the fear to be left behind by the development in the adjacent territories, finally provided the needed impetus to start railway building in Württemberg.
Construction of the main railways
The state government finally adopted the conclusions of the commission, and in 1836 formulated the plans for this initial list of main lines:- Ostbahn (Eastern line):
- 1st alternative: starting in CannstattStuttgart-Bad Cannstatt stationBad Cannstatt station is the second largest station of the German city of Stuttgart after Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof and has eight platform tracks. Together with Untertürkheim station, it is the oldest station in Württemberg.-History:...
, through the FilsFilsFils or FILS can mean*Fils , a river in Germany*Fils , a subdivision of currency used in many Arab countries*fils, the French word for "son"*Firestone Indy Lights Series...
valley, to UlmUlmUlm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, called the Fils Valley Railway (Filsbahn) - 2nd alternative: starting in Cannstatt, through the valleys of the rivers NeckarNeckarThe Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
, RemsRemsThe Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
, and Brenz, to Ulm, called the Remsbahn (Rems railway)
- 1st alternative: starting in Cannstatt
- Northern Railway (Nordbahn): from Cannstatt to HeilbronnHeilbronnHeilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
- Western Railway (Westbahn): branching off the Nordbahn near Eglosheim, and running toward the cities of BruchsalBruchsalBruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
or PforzheimPforzheimPforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
in Baden - SouthernSouthern Railway (Württemberg)The Southern Railway is a non-electrified main line in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany. It was built from 1846 to 1850 and doubled from 1905 to 1913. During that time many of the station buildings were rebuilt...
(Südbahn): from Ulm to FriedrichshafenFriedrichshafenThis article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
on the Bodensee
These plans were completed in 1839, and were revised by the surveyors von Negrelli, Charles Vignoles, and Karl Etzel. The resulting central questions were:
- Routing of the Ostbahn: Using the Remsbahn alternative meant avoiding the Schwäbische Alb, but also meant a considerably longer route than the Filsbahn option, one which had to pass through Bavarian territory to boot. The direct route meant that the Geislinger SteigeGeislinger SteigeThe Geislinger Steige is an old trade route over the low mountain range of the Swabian Jura in southern Germany. It links Geislingen an der Steige with Amstetten and is one of the most famous ascents in the Jura...
had to be conquered. Due to the better connection to Stuttgart, and the shorter distance to be covered, the FilsbahnFilsbahnThe Fils Valley Railway designates the Württemberg line from Stuttgart via Göppingen to Ulm. It runs from Plochingen to Geislingen an der Steige through the Fils Valley.- Construction :...
alternative was chosen. - Choice of the central station (Zentralbahnhof): The various plans had either Cannstatt, Stuttgart, or Berg as alternatives for the central railway station of the network. Because of the location of Stuttgart in the basin of a valley, initially plans called for a connection from Cannstatt or Berg via a secondary connection line only. Etzel later drew up plans that included modern engineering, including the Pragtunnel and Rosensteintunnel, which made possible the location of the central station in the center of Stuttgart. Since Stuttgart was by far the largest city of the three, and therefore passenger traffic expectation were highest, the decision was made to go with the Stuttgart location, even though the geographical location brought with it issues that are current even today (see Stuttgart 21Stuttgart 21Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
).
The Royal Württemberg State Railways
Royal Württemberg State Railways
The Royal Württemberg State Railways were the state railways of the Kingdom of Württemberg between 1843 and 1920...
(Königlich Württembergischen Staats-Eisenbahnen or K.W.St.E.) were intended as state railways (Länderbahnen
Länderbahnen
The German term Länderbahnen generally refers to the state railways of the German Empire in the period from about 1840 to 1920 when they were merged into the Deutsche Reichsbahn after the First World War....
) from the beginning; applications for licenses to operate private railway companies (for example, the Württembergischen Eisenbahngesellschaft, which had been founded as a private company in 1836) were initially denied. The government, and King, were interested in preserving the rights of the state with a view on the profits foreseen in the rail transit traffic between states. The negotiation of railway connection rights between the neighboring states was a task for the state governments in any case.
On the 18th of April 1843, the Railway Law (Eisenbahngesetz)) was passed, which legislated the creation of the railways listed above. The same law restricted the investment of private funds in the area of secondary connecting railways (Sekundärbahn). This law was also the impetus for the founding of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen
Maschinenfabrik Esslingen , was a German engineering firm that manufactured locomotives, tramways, railway wagons, roll-blocks, technical equipment for the railways, , bridges, steel structures, pumps and boilers.-Founding:...
, which became the primary operator and designer of railway construction and railway technology in Württemberg.
After the passage of the law, the Zentralbahn (Central line) was the first line to be started, which connected Stuttgart via two separate branches with Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
and Esslingen. Construction began in 1844, and the first section between Cannstatt und Untertürkheim was opened for service on the 22nd of October 1845, with the entire line completed in 1846. The Nordbahn was completed in 1848, and the Ostbahn and Südbahn were completed in 1850.
The Westbahn required negotiations with Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
. These discussions were typical of the relationship of Württemberg with its neighboring states, which was marked by both cooperation and competition. Both sides were convinced of the necessity of a railway connection on the one hand, but at the same time, both states were also interested in keeping the transit traffic from the north inside their territory as much as possible. Württemberg would have liked a connection between Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
and Wiesloch
Wiesloch
Wiesloch is a city in Germany, in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is situated 13 kilometres south of Heidelberg.After Weinheim, Sinsheim and Leimen it is the fourth largest city of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and is in the north-central area near Heidelberg with its neighbouring town Walldorf...
, and Baden was inclined to grant a connection via Durlach
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.-History:Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession, but afterwards came into the hands of Rudolph of Habsburg.It was chosen by the margrave...
–Pforzheim. By connecting in Bruchsal
Bruchsal
Bruchsal is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
, a compromise was reached. As a result of these negotiations, the Westbahn was constructed between 1850 and 1853, and subsequently put into service. In 1854, a connection to the Bavarian railway network was achieved in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
.
The direct route Bretten
Bretten
Bretten is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.-Geography:Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of...
–Stuttgart–Ulm developed into the most important railway axis in Württemberg, and it came to be known as the Hauptbahn (Main line).
Internal expansion
Even though the main lines turned out to be economically successful, a lull in railway construction commenced for the next several years. However, between 1854 and 1856 a steel mill for the manufacture of rails was built in Wasseralfingen near AalenAalen
Aalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
. Only in 1857 did the construction of railways restart in these areas of urgent need:
- the upper NeckarNeckarThe Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
region with the industrial city of ReutlingenReutlingenReutlingen is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous district of Reutlingen. As of April 2008, it has a population of 109,828....
and TübingenTübingenTübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:... - the northeast of the state of Württemberg
- the east, with AalenAalenAalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
and Heidenheim, with eye on a connection to the Bavarian railway network near NördlingenNördlingenNördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
Of these projects, the first to be realized was the Upper Neckar Railway, with the section Plochingen–Reutlingen completed in 1859, the expansion to Rottenburg
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar is a medium-sized town in the administrative district of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart and about 12 km southwest of the district town Tübingen...
in 1861, and to Eyach in 1864.
To open up the northeast of Württemberg, the initial plans called for a route from Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
through the Kocher
Kocher
The Kocher is a 168 km long right tributary of the Neckar in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name "Kocher" originates from its Celtic name "cochan" and probably means winding, meandering river. The Kocher rises in the eastern foothills of the Swabian Alb from two karst...
valley and via Hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
to Aalen
Aalen
Aalen is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district, and its largest city, as well as the largest city within the Ostwürttemberg region. In spatial planning, Aalen is designated a Mittelzentrum...
. Due to the technical difficulty of that route, it was abandoned and a route via Öhringen
Öhringen
Öhringen is the largest city in Hohenlohe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, in southwest Germany, near Heilbronn. Öhringen is on the railways to Schwäbisch Hall and Crailsheim.With a population of 22,745 , the city is diverse...
, Hall, and Crailsheim
Crailsheim
Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 32 km east of Schwäbisch Hall, 40 km southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district, incorporated in 1338....
, then through the Jagst
Jagst
The Jagst is a right tributary of the Neckar in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is 189 km long. Its source is in the hills east of Ellwangen, close to the Bavarian border. It winds through the towns Ellwangen, Crailsheim, Kirchberg an der Jagst, Langenburg, Krautheim, Möckmühl and Neudenau...
valley to Aalen was planned instead. However, the new Railway Law of the 18th of November 1858 legislated only the construction of the Kocher Railway
Hohenlohe Railway
The Hohenlohe Railway is a double-tracked, main line railway in southwest Germany that runs from Heilbronn, crossing the Hohenlohe region.-History:...
to Hall, which was completed in 1862.
To get the railway into the east of Württemberg, in 1857 the state government had planned on a route branching off the Fils Valley Railway near Lonsee
Lonsee
Lonsee is a town in the Alb-Donau district in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.The population of Lonsee in 2008 is 4.758; the town consists of 7 villages - Ettlenschiess, Halzhausen, Sinabronn, Lonsee, Luizhausen and Urspring...
to Heidenheim. After further exploration, this plan was found to be uneconomical, and was abandoned. Branching off in Uhingen
Uhingen
Uhingen is a town in the district of Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is located on the river Fils, 5 km west of Göppingen....
in the Fils
Fils
Fils or FILS can mean*Fils , a river in Germany*Fils , a subdivision of currency used in many Arab countries*fils, the French word for "son"*Firestone Indy Lights Series...
valley to Lorch
Lorch
Lorch may refer to:*Lorch, Hesse, a town in Hesse, Germany*Lorch , a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany*Lorch, Austria, part of Enns in Upper Austria...
, and then running through the Rems
Rems
The Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
valley to Aalen, was thought to have a better chance of being realized. This route also offered a better connection to the Upper Neckar Railway. However, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, which feared competition on its own north-south connection, indicated that it would not permit a connection to its railway network at Nördlingen
Nördlingen
Nördlingen is a town in the Donau-Ries district, in Bavaria, Germany, with a population of 20,000. It is located in the middle of a complex meteorite crater, called the Nördlinger Ries. The town was also the place of two battles during the Thirty Years' War...
. For this reason, the Rems Railway
Rems Railway
The Rems Railway , also known as the Rems Valley Railway was historically the main line route from Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt via Aalen to Nördlingen. Today the designation Rems Railway only refers to the section from Stuttgart to Aalen, the Aalen–Nördlingen line becoming part of the Ries Railway...
, running from Cannstatt to Waiblingen
Waiblingen
Waiblingen is a town in the southwest of Germany, located in the center of the densely populated Stuttgart Region, directly neighboring Stuttgart. It is the capital of the Rems-Murr district...
, and from there alongside the Rems
Rems
The Rems is a right tributary of the Neckar in eastern Baden-Württemberg. It is 78 km long. Its source is in Essingen, near Aalen. It flows generally west through the towns Böbingen an der Rems, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Plüderhausen, Schorndorf, Remshalden and Waiblingen. At Remseck the Rems flows...
river to Aalen and Wasseralfingen, was constructed, and opened for service in 1861. Also in 1861, the states of Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
signed a treaty, which codified the expansion of this line to Nördlingen, which was completed in 1863. However, that treaty did include an unfavorable clause for Württemberg, which prohibited the direct connection between Aalen and Ulm (later to become the Brenz Railway
Brenz Railway
The Brenz Railway , also called the Brenz Valley Railway , is a single-tracked, non-electrified main line from Aalen to Ulm in southern Germany...
) until 1875. For this reason, it was just a branch line that was constructed in 1864 to connect Aalen to Heidenheim.
Connections to the neighboring states
At the time of the construction of the Western RailwayWürttemberg Western Railway
The Western Railway in Württemberg was opened in 1853 and ran from Bietigheim-Bissingen to Bruchsal. It was the first railway link between the states of Württemberg and Baden in Germany and one of the oldest lines in Germany....
, Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
had secured the right to a possible connection in Mühlacker
Mühlacker
Mühlacker is a town in the eastern part of the Enz district in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. Mühlacker station has direct rail connections with Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg, Pforzheim and the Northern Black Forest....
to a railway coming from Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
. Baden completed this connection in 1863 (please see Karlsruhe–Mühlacker railway), which meant that Mühlacker on the Württemberg side became a railway node, and grew in a short time from a village to a small city.
Any additional expansion of the rail network required negotiations with the neighboring states. Along with Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
and Baden, the neighboring states included Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, whose territory of Hohenzollern bordered on Württemberg, and Hessen, whose exclave Wimpfen was situated between Baden and Württemberg.
In 1864, three northerly connection points to the Odenwald Railway (Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
–Mosbach
Mosbach
Mosbach is the capital of the Neckar-Odenwald district in the north of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about 58 km east of Heidelberg. Its geographical position is 49.21'N 9.9'E....
–Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
) in Baden were agreed upon:
- from HeilbronnHeilbronnHeilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
via JagstfeldBad FriedrichshallBad Friedrichshall is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Jagst and the Kocher into the Neckar, 10 km north of Heilbronn...
and WimpfenBad WimpfenBad Wimpfen is an historic spa town in the district of Heilbronn in the Baden-Württemberg region of southern Germany. It lies north of the city of Heilbronn, on the river Neckar.-Geography:...
to MeckesheimMeckesheimMeckesheim is a village in south western Germany. It is located between Heidelberg and Sinsheim in the Rhein-Neckar district in the state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:...
(now part of the Franconia Railway, Elsenz Valley RailwayElsenz Valley RailwayThe Elsenz Valley Railway is a partly double-tracked main line from Heidelberg via Sinsheim to Bad Friedrichshall-Jagstfeld, that, for part of its course, follows the Elsenz river that gives it its name. The crossing stations on the single-tracked sections are still controlled by mechanical signal...
) - from HeilbronnHeilbronnHeilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
via JagstfeldBad FriedrichshallBad Friedrichshall is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the Jagst and the Kocher into the Neckar, 10 km north of Heilbronn...
to OsterburkenOsterburkenOsterburken is a town in the Neckar-Odenwald district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 28 km southwest of Tauberbischofsheim, 50 km northeast of Heilbronn, 90 km east of Heidelberg, 60 km southwest of Würzburg and 30 km east of Mosbach...
(now part of the Franconia Railway) - from CrailsheimCrailsheimCrailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 32 km east of Schwäbisch Hall, 40 km southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district, incorporated in 1338....
via MergentheimBad MergentheimBad Mergentheim is a town in the Main-Tauber district in the German state of Baden-Württemberg.-History:Mergentheim is mentioned in chronicles as early as 1058, as the residence of the family of the counts of Hohenlohe, who early in the 13th century assigned the greater part of their estates in...
to LaudaLauda-KönigshofenLauda-Königshofen is a town in the Main-Tauber district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Tauber, 7 km southeast of Tauberbischofsheim, and 30 km southwest of Würzburg...
(Tauber Valley RailwayTauber Valley RailwayThe Tauber Valley Railway is a single-tracked, unelectrified, standard gauge railway between Wertheim and Crailsheim in southern Germany. It runs alongside the Tauber to Weikersheim, then along the Vorbach and Blaubach rivers. It is recorded in the timetable as route no. 782. Until 9 December...
)
A connection along the Neckar
Neckar
The Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
in the direction of Eberbach
Eberbach (Baden)
Eberbach is a town in Germany, in northern Baden-Württemberg, located 33 km east of Heidelberg. It belongs to the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis. Its sister city is Ephrata, United States.- Location :...
to the Hessian railway there, which was desired by Württemberg, did not materialize, due to opposition by Baden, which feared competition to its Rhine Valley Railway.
The above agreements meant the development of Jagstfeld and Crailsheim into railway nodes. The planned railways were constructed between 1866 and 1869, and Crailsheim was additionally connected to Goldshöfe station
Goldshöfe station
Goldshöfe station is a station in the German state of Baden-Württemberg at the junction of the Aalen–Crailsheim line and the Aalen–Nördlingen line . In addition to its function as a junction station it also serves the towns of Hüttlingen and Buch in the municipality of Rainau, both about two...
(on the Rems Railway
Rems Railway
The Rems Railway , also known as the Rems Valley Railway was historically the main line route from Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt via Aalen to Nördlingen. Today the designation Rems Railway only refers to the section from Stuttgart to Aalen, the Aalen–Nördlingen line becoming part of the Ries Railway...
) via the Upper Jagst Railway and Hall via the Hohenlohe Railway
Hohenlohe Railway
The Hohenlohe Railway is a double-tracked, main line railway in southwest Germany that runs from Heilbronn, crossing the Hohenlohe region.-History:...
.
In the south, Württemberg planned to expand its Upper Neckar Railway via Horb am Neckar
Horb am Neckar
Horb am Neckar is a town in the southwest of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river, between Offenburg to the west and Tübingen to the east . It has around 25,000 inhabitants, of whom about 6,000 live in the main town of Horb, and the remainder in 18 associated...
to Rottweil
Rottweil
Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants...
. In addition, another line was planned from Stuttgart to Horb, which was meant to speed up that connection. The latter was possible in two alternatives: via Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
and Herrenberg
Herrenberg
Herrenberg is a town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg, about 30 kmsouth of Stuttgart and 20 km from Tübingen. After Sindelfingen, Böblingen, and Leonberg, it is the fourth largest town in the district of Böblingen...
(on the Gäu Railway (Stuttgart–Singen)), or via Weil der Stadt
Weil der Stadt
Weil der Stadt is a small town of about 19,000 inhabitants, located in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is about west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest"...
, Calw
Calw
Calw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...
, and Nagold
Nagold
Nagold is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the northern Black Forest. It is located in the Landkreis of Calw . Nagold is known for its ruined castle, Hohennagold Castle, and for its road viaduct...
(on the Black Forest Railway
Black Forest Railway (Württemberg)
The Black Forest Railway – also known as the Württemberg Black Forest Railway to distinguish it from the railway of the same name in Baden is a railway line in southern Germany from Stuttgart to Calw that was opened in stages between 1868 and 1872...
). Based on the estimated expense, the latter option was initially chosen.
This railway was supposed to be able to connect to the railway network of Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
south of Rottweil
Rottweil
Rottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants...
, but Baden saw this line as competition to its Rhine Valley Railway. On the other hand, Baden was interested in a connection between Waldshut
Waldshut-Tiengen
Waldshut-Tiengen is a city in southwestern Baden-Württemberg right at the Swiss border. It is the district seat and at the same time the biggest city in Waldshut district and a "middle centre" in the area of the "high centre" Lörrach/Weil am Rhein to whose middle area most towns and communities in...
, where it had a connection into Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
. That connection was seen by Baden as having the potential for profits via a connection between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Switzerland and the east. Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
saw that line as competition to its Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Württemberg)
The Southern Railway is a non-electrified main line in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany. It was built from 1846 to 1850 and doubled from 1905 to 1913. During that time many of the station buildings were rebuilt...
. Added to this picture was the complication that both of these desired lines would need to run through the territory of Hohenzollern, which would require negotiations with Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. Prussia was interested in getting its city of Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen
Sigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
onto the railway network in exchange for an agreement on these other railway plans. In 1865, all of these factors led to the following negotiated agreement on the construction of these railways:
- at the NeckarNeckarThe Neckar is a long river, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, but also a short section through Hesse, in Germany. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine...
river: from Eyach to Horb, and, crossing Hohenzollern territory, to RottweilRottweilRottweil is a town in the south west of Germany and is the oldest town in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg.Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb hills, Rottweil has about 25,000 inhabitants...
, then branching off there to Villingen, and via TuttlingenTuttlingenTuttlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, Möhringen and Eßlingen are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen...
to ImmendingenImmendingenImmendingen is a town in the district of Tuttlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
in Baden; - in the Black ForestBlack ForestThe Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
: one line from PforzheimPforzheimPforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
to Wildbad, and another to CalwCalwCalw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...
; - in Hohenzollern: a line from TübingenTübingenTübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
to the Prussian HechingenHechingenHechingen is a town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about south of the state capital of Stuttgart and north of Lake Constance and the Swiss border.- City districts :...
, and on to BalingenBalingenBalingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located nearby the Swabian Alb, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenningen, and 60 km southwest of Stuttgart.It is home to the Bizerba and Ideal...
, EbingenEbingenEbingen is a town in the large district of Albstadt, district Zollernalbkreis, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the river Schmiecha, a left-hand tributary of the Danube, south of Tübingen and west of Ulm.- History :...
, and SigmaringenSigmaringenSigmaringen is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen district....
; - construction of the connection Waldshut-Ulm along the rivers Ablach and DanubeDanubeThe Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
via RadolfzellRadolfzellRadolfzell am Bodensee is a town in Germany at the western end of Lake Constance approximately 18 km northwest of Konstanz. It is the third largest town, after Constance and Singen, in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg....
, Schwackenreute, MeßkirchMeßkirchMeßkirch is a town in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.Meßkirch was the residence of the counts of Zimmern, widely known through Count Froben Christoph's Zimmern Chronicle ....
(in Baden), KrauchenwiesKrauchenwiesKrauchenwies is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Krauchenwies lies about 10 km south of Sigmaringen and 25 km north of Lake Constance...
(in Prussia), and MengenMengen, GermanyMengen is a town in the district of Sigmaringen, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 9 km southeast of Sigmaringen....
(in Württemberg), with connecting lines from both Krauchenwies and Mengen to Sigmaringen, and an additional connection from AulendorfAulendorfAulendorf is a town in the district of Ravensburg, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 20 km southwest of Biberach an der Riß, and 19 km north of Ravensburg....
to Schwackenreute.
The latter connection had to do with the concurrent construction of the Allgäu Railway, which meant that Aulendorf became a railway node. The agreement also included the closing of the gap to the Bodensee, which was not completed at this time.
These agreements resulted in great construction activity, which were only slightly delayed by the wars of 1866 (Austro-Prussian War
Austro-Prussian War
The Austro-Prussian War was a war fought in 1866 between the German Confederation under the leadership of the Austrian Empire and its German allies on one side and the Kingdom of Prussia with its German allies and Italy on the...
) and 1871 (Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
). The railways along the Neckar were completed between 1866 and 1870; the lines in the Black Forest, inclusive of the connection Stuttgart–Calw–Horb, between 1868 and 1874. The connection Waldshut–Ulm was put into service in 1873, and 1875 saw the opening of the railways in the Allgäu
Allgäu
The Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
. The connection between Tübingen and Sigmaringen was constructed in several sections between 1869 and 1878.
After the founding of the German Reich
In 1871, Württemberg joined the German Reich, founded at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War. The railways of the states remained independent, regardless of the efforts of Reichskanzler Otto von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
. However, Article 42 of the constitution of the Reich demanded that the individual state railways would allow the administration of the railway network as one integrated unit in the interest of public transportation. The Reich railway office had the responsibility of overseeing railway activities. In addition, Article 41 of the constitution enabled the Reich government to order the construction of railways for military purposes.
Railway construction after the founding of the Reich, in particular construction to eliminate any gaps in east-west connections, can therefore be understood as having been done on behalf of the military, which demanded transportation capacity from the east to the French border. Also, the law legislating the management of the network as one unit offered the opportunity to Württemberg to finally achieve some of the connections which had been denied by neighboring states on the basis of unwanted competition.
Until 1890, Württemberg was focused on the completion of its main railways (Hauptbahnen). The most significant project at the time was the creation of a northeast-southwest axis, made up of the Murr Railway Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall
Schwäbisch Hall is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg and capital of the district of Schwäbisch Hall. The town is located in the valley of the river Kocher in the north-eastern part of Baden-Württemberg....
–Hessental and the Gäu Railway Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
–Freudenstadt
Freudenstadt
Freudenstadt is a town in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is capital of the district Freudenstadt. The closest population centres are Offenburg to the west and Tübingen to the east ....
, with a construction plan of 1872, and the completion of construction in 1879 and 1880. Both lines were further connected into Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
and Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, and the Murr Valley Railway was expanded via two connecting lines to the Northern Railway, from Backnang
Backnang
Backnang is a town in Germany in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, roughly 30 kilometers northeast of Stuttgart. Its population has increased greatly over the past century, from 7,650 in 1900 to 35,761 in 2005....
to Bietigheim
Bietigheim-Bissingen station
Bietigheim-Bissingen station is a junction station in the town of Bietigheim-Bissingen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg where the Württemberg Western Railway separates from the Franconia Railway. With its eight station tracks it is the largest station in the district of Ludwigsburg...
and to Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg station
Ludwigsburg station is in Ludwigsburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg on the Franconia Railway and the Backnang–Bietigheim line. It is served by regional trains and the Stuttgart S-Bahn. Until 2005 the Ludwigsburg–Markgröningen lines also connected to the station...
.
Württemberg had also finally reached an agreement with Bavaria on the construction of the Brenz Railway
Brenz Railway
The Brenz Railway , also called the Brenz Valley Railway , is a single-tracked, non-electrified main line from Aalen to Ulm in southern Germany...
, which traveled across a section of Bavarian territory, and completed the connection between Heidenheim und Ulm. This railway was made possible by the expiration of the limitation on this connection in 1861, and was completed in 1876.
In 1873, an agreement was reached with Baden on the construction of the Kraichgau Railway
Kraichgau Railway
The Kraichgau Railway is a 64.8 km long railway line in the region of Kraichgau in northwestern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It runs from Karlsruhe via Bretten and Eppingen to Heilbronn and was built in 1880...
, which was constructed between 1878 and 1880 and traveled from Durlach
Durlach
Durlach is a borough of the German city of Karlsruhe with a population of roughly 30,000.-History:Durlach was bestowed by emperor Frederick II on the margrave Hermann V of Zähringen as an allodial possession, but afterwards came into the hands of Rudolph of Habsburg.It was chosen by the margrave...
via Bretten
Bretten
Bretten is a town in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.-Geography:Bretten lies in the centre of a rectangle that is formed by Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn and Stuttgart as corners. It has a population of approximately 28,000. The centre of...
and Eppingen
Eppingen
Eppingen is a town in the district of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The town has the second-largest population in the district....
to Heilbronn
Heilbronn
Heilbronn is a city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is completely surrounded by Heilbronn County and with approximately 123.000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state....
, with one half of the line running through each state. Part of the agreement was the repurchase by Baden of the section Bretten–Bruchsal, which meant that the Württemberg section of the Western Railway only ran to Bretten. Lastly, the agreement made possible the by Württemberg desired connection Jagstfeld–Neckarelz–Eberbach, which was completed by Baden in 1879.
Other state railways were constructed in the Allgäu
Allgäu
The Allgäu is a southern German region in Swabia. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia and southeastern Baden-Württemberg. The region stretches from the prealpine lands up to the Alps...
region between Kißlegg
Kißlegg
Kißlegg is a town in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Kißlegg is not far from the village of Vogt. It has a beautiful church, rich in culture and beauty....
and Wangen
Wangen im Allgäu
Wangen im Allgäu is a historic city in southeast Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies north-east of Lake Constance in the Westallgäu. It is the second-largest city in the Ravensburg district and is a nexus for the surrounding communities...
(1880) and further into the Bavarian Hergatz
Hergatz
Hergatz is a municipality in the district of Lindau in Bavaria in Germany. The contemporary town was formed from the former municipals of Wohmbrechts and Maria-Thann in the course of the municipal reform at the end of the 70s.-Geografie:...
(1890), and between Leutkirch and the Bavarian town of Memmingen
Memmingen
Memmingen is a town in the Bavarian administrative region of Swabia in Germany. It is the central economic, educational and administrative centre in the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Württemberg border...
(1889). Alongside the upper Danube, the gap between Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, Möhringen and Eßlingen are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen...
and Sigmaringen was closed in 1890.
These additions meant the completion of the main line network in 1890. In 1899 and 1901, respectively, the finals gaps with the railways of Baden and Bavaria were closed in the Bodensee area. The railways in Württemberg were not only profitable, and supplied those profits to the coffers of the state government, but were also significant in the rapid advancement of industrialization in the state during the 19th century. Towns located on railways were attractive to industry, and often grew enormously as a result. The railway network has also proven to be long-lived; almost all of the network is still in use today, even though some sections have lost their earlier importance. The exceptions are:
- the Weil der StadtWeil der StadtWeil der Stadt is a small town of about 19,000 inhabitants, located in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is about west of Stuttgart city center, and is often called "Gate to the Black Forest"...
–CalwCalwCalw is a municipality in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital of the district Calw. It is located in the northern Black Forest.-History:...
section of the Black Forest RailwayBlack Forest Railway (Württemberg)The Black Forest Railway – also known as the Württemberg Black Forest Railway to distinguish it from the railway of the same name in Baden is a railway line in southern Germany from Stuttgart to Calw that was opened in stages between 1868 and 1872...
, which had lost much of its significance soon after its construction due to the Gäu Railway; - the Beihingen–Bietigheim branch from the Murr Valley Railway, which, after suffering damage in 1945, was not rebuilt;
- the AltshausenAltshausenAltshausen is a small Swabian municipality near Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, southern Germany.- Geography :Altshausen is situated in Upper Swabia, about 40 kilometers north of Lake Constance...
–PfullendorfPfullendorfPfullendorf is a small historic city in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Geography:Its location is in the district of Sigmaringen, 25 km north of Lake Constance and south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the...
section of the Altshausen–Schwackenreute railway, which was closed for passenger traffic in 1964; - the Leutkirch–Isny section on the Allgäu Railway.
Construction of secondary lines
The first of these railways was the connection between Unterboihingen (today called Wendlingen
Wendlingen
Wendlingen is a town in the district of Esslingen in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated on the Neckar and Lauter rivers, 27 km southeast of Stuttgart.-International relations:...
) and Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck
Kirchheim unter Teck is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, in the district of Esslingen. It is located on the small river Lauter, a tributary of the Neckar. It is situated near the Teck castle, approximatively 25 km southeast of Stuttgart...
(the Teck Railway), constructed in 1864 by the Kirchheimer Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft. In 1873, the privately owned Erms Valley Railway was completed, in 1884 the Filder Railway joined this list, and in 1888 the narrow-gauge connection Ravensburg
Ravensburg
Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre...
–Weingarten–Baienfurt
Baienfurt
Baienfurt is a municipality in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany.-Sister cities: Brest, Belarus...
was opened. The Altensteigerle between Nagold
Nagold
Nagold is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the northern Black Forest. It is located in the Landkreis of Calw . Nagold is known for its ruined castle, Hohennagold Castle, and for its road viaduct...
and Altensteig
Altensteig
Altensteig is a town in the district of Calw, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the eastern Black Forest, 18 km southwest of Calw, and 19 km northeast of Freudenstadt.- Subdivisions :...
saw the start of an era of construction of branch lines by the state railways, and numerous state and private secondary railway lines were built by the 1920s.
The new branch lines were usually run through river valleys, and were built using standard gauge; in some cases, due to cost restrictions, narrow gauge was used. Very few of the branch lines were built to connect already existing lines, and building this type of connection by private companies was prohibited in any case.
In the Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
area a few bypass lines were added to relieve the pressure on the main station
Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main...
at the state capital. These included the Schuster Railway from Kornwestheim
Kornwestheim
Kornwestheim is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated about 10 km north of Stuttgart, and 5 km south of Ludwigsburg.-Entertainment:...
to Untertürkheim, completed in 1896, the Rankbach Railway from Böblingen
Böblingen
Böblingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen District. Physically Sindelfingen and Böblingen are continuous.-History:Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Böblingen in 1253. Württemberg acquired the town in 1357, and on 12 May 1525 one of the bloodiest battles...
to Renningen
Renningen
Renningen is a town in the district of Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 18 km west of Stuttgart.- Geography :Renningen is located in the west of Stuttgart, between Leonberg and Weil der Stadt on the fringes of the fertile plains of the Neckarland...
, completed between 1914 and 1915, as well as the construction of the shunting yard in Kornwestheim between 1918 and 1920.
Transition to the Reichsbahn
After World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the constitution of 1919 brought to an end the independence of the state railways; on 1 April 1920, they joined to form the Reichsbahn. The former state railways directorate of Württemberg became the Reichsbahn directorate Stuttgart (Reichsbahndirektion Stuttgart). The railway network at the time was 2,153 kilometers in length.
Construction of new lines continued until 1928, and then ceased. The profitability of the railways had experienced a marked decrease, not only due to the economic crises of the time, but also due to the poor results of some of the branch lines. In addition, automobile passenger traffic started to become a competitor to the railways.
Among the railway openings worth mentioning before the start of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
are the section Klosterreichenbach–Raumünzach on the Murgtalbahn, completed in 1928, and the connection between Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen
Tuttlingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Tuttlingen. Nendingen, Möhringen and Eßlingen are three former municipalities that belong to Tuttlingen...
und Hattingen
Hattingen
Hattingen is a German town located in northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 1396, when the Duke of Mark granted permission to build...
of 1934, which eliminated the hair pin curve in Immendingen for trains between Stuttgart and Singen
Singen
Singen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.-Location:...
. Interestingly, the projects at the border between Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
and Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
were only completed under the aegis of the Reichsbahn.
World War II and further development
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the railways became targets of numerous aerial attacks due to their military significance, and at the end of the war, many of the railway bridges were destroyed by the retreating Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
troops. At the end of the war, the railway network was inoperable.
Württemberg was split into a northern American (called Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden
Württemberg-Baden is a former state of Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the U.S. occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. Its capital was Stuttgart...
) and southern French (called Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern was a historical state of West Germany. It was created in 1945 as part of the French occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen...
) zone of occupation
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
. In both zones, the railways were quickly repaired as an important component of the rebuilding efforts. The French occupation forces were additionally interested in using rail transport to get reparations moved into France, and helped themselves to parts of the railway infrastructure itself, such as the deconstruction of the second track between Horb and Tuttlingen on the Gäu Railway. In 1952, Württemberg became part of the new state of Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
.
After the reconstruction of the railway network, there was no additional new construction undertaken. The reason, as was the case in the rest of Germany, was the ever increasing share of passenger traffic utilizing automobiles, which also became the preferred transport method supported by the national government. This led to the elimination of passenger service on some lines, and the complete closing of other lines, starting at the end of the 1950s. This had the biggest impact on the branch lines constructed since 1890, with the newest lines seeing the most service reductions and closings.
In 1978, the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart
Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart
The Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart is a regional transport cooperative that coordinates tickets and fares among all transport operators in the metropolitan area of Stuttgart in Germany...
(VVS) was founded in Stuttgart, which manages and operates the Stuttgart S-Bahn
Stuttgart S-Bahn
The Stuttgart S-Bahn is a suburban railway system serving the Stuttgart Region, an agglomeration of around 2.6 million people, consisting of the city of Stuttgart and the adjacent districts of Esslingen, Böblingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr. It consists of seven lines numbered S1 through S6 and...
network in the Stuttgart area.
Since the railway reforms of 1994, which asked that the states take responsibility for their own regional and local transport networks, a slight trend toward the reopening of a few of the closed branch lines is apparent; examples are the Schönbuch Railway (1996), Erms Valley Railway (1999), or the Balingen
Balingen
Balingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, capital of the district of Zollernalbkreis. It is located nearby the Swabian Alb, approx. 35 km to the south of Tübingen, 35 km northeast of Villingen-Schwenningen, and 60 km southwest of Stuttgart.It is home to the Bizerba and Ideal...
–Schömberg section of the Balingen–Rottweil line (2002).
The Mannheim–Stuttgart high-speed railway was constructed by 1991 for ICE
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
trains, which replaced the use of the former Western Railway line in terms of long-distance connections. As part of the project Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21
Stuttgart 21 is an urban development and under construction transport project in Stuttgart as part of the Stuttgart–Augsburg new and upgraded railway project in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany. It consists of the replacement of the tracks and platforms of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the city's...
, which also includes a complete redesign and construction of a new Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Stuttgart, the capital of the Land of Baden-Württemberg, in southwestern Germany. It is the largest regional and long-distance railway station in Stuttgart, the main node of the Stuttgart S-Bahn network, and, together with the halt at Charlottenplatz, the main...
, a new high-speed railway between Stuttgart and Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
(Stuttgart–Wendlingen high-speed railway and Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed railway) is also planned, which would be used by ICE trains instead of the Fils Valley Railway.
Literature
- Walz, Werner: Die Eisenbahn in Baden-Württemberg: Geschichte der Bahnen in Baden und Württemberg 1840 bis heute. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1980, ISBN 3-87943-716-5
- von Morlok, Georg: Die Königlich Württembergischen Staatseisenbahnen: Rückschau auf deren Erbauung während der Jahre 1835–1889 unter Berücksichtigung ihrer geschichtlichen, technischen und finanziellen Momente und Ergebnisse. 1890 (Nachdruck: Siedentop, Heidenheim 1986, ISBN 3-924305-01-3)
- Albert Mühl, Kurt Seidel: Die Württembergischen Staatseisenbahnen. Theiss, Stuttgart und Aalen 1970, ISBN 3-8062-0032-7
- Bernd Beck: Schwäbische Eisenbahn – Bilder von der Königlich Württembergischen Staatseisenbahn. Gebr. Metz, Tübingen 1989, ISBN 3-921580-78-1
- Otto Supper: Die Entwicklung des Eisenbahnwesens im Königreich Württemberg. Denkschrift zum 50. Jahrestag der Eröffnung der ersten Eisenbahnstrecke in Württemberg am 28. Oktober 1845. 1905 (Nachdruck: Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-17-005976-9)