Stuttgart-Rohr–Filderstadt railway

The Rohr–Echterdingen section was built as an unemployment relief project in 1920 by the Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR) to connect with the Stuttgart-Möhringen–Neuhausen auf den Fildern railway, that had been built by the private Filder Railway Company (Filderbahn-Gesellschaft) to create a better link with the DR network. The line was opened on 1 October 1920, with services running through to Neuhausen. This allowed passenger trains to run through without changing in Degerloch. Services from Echterdingen to Filderstadt were operated by Stuttgart Tramways (Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen, SSB) from 1920 and the Tramways took over the ownership of the line in 1934. In 1928 a branch line was opened from Leinfelden to Waldenbuch called the Siebenmühlentalbahn (Siebenmühlen Valley Railway).

A track was laid in 1934 between Echterdingen and Bernhausen for the construction of the A8 and Stuttgart Airport. It was extended towards Denkendorf to take construction material along the autobahn as it was built and it also supplied construction materials and goods for the construction of the airport, which was completed in 1939. The route of the line was diverted to the east of Echterdingen station to Bernhausen in 1937 to run south of the airport area. The current S-Bahn route, however, largely follows the former construction siding.

In 1955, passenger services on the Stuttgart-Rohr–Echterdingen (–Neuhausen) line and on the Siebenmühlen Valley line were replaced by bus services; the line was now only used for freight traffic. The supplying of fuel and other goods to the airport by rail was abandoned by the end of the 1960s. At the same time the proposed Echterdingen link road was abandoned during the planning of the new Federal Highway 27 and the proposed use of the southern part of the military airport by the U.S. Army did not materialise due to community opposition. On 28 May 1983, freight traffic on the Leinfelden–Neuhausen section was closed and the tracks on the SSB-owned route from Echterdingen to Neuhausen were soon removed. The tracks on the Deutsche Bahn section from Leinfelden to Echterdingen were closed for rebuilding in preparation for the S-Bahn a few years later. The last train to run on the original line before the reopening for the S-Bahn was an Uerdingen railbus from Echterdingenran in September 1985 during a special trip for the inauguration of the S-Bahn to Stuttgart-Vaihingen. The remaining Rohr–Leinfelden section was still used occasionally for shunting freight until the early 1990s. It was used mainly to serve Leinfelden-based companies, but also for the transport of construction materials for the S-Bahn. The line was reconstructed for the S-Bahn from the mid-1980s, with the installation of double track, electrification and the partial undergrounding of the track. Curves were also straightened. A new line was created between Echterdingen and the airport.

The preliminary plan for the Stuttgart S-Bahn included a Filder-Schnellbahn (Filder fast railway) between Stuttgart-Vaihingen and the Airport with a calculated construction costs of DM 47 million (1966 prices). Doubling of the track, an extension to the airport and electrification from Stuttgart-Rohr was planned. The project was to be realised in two phases from 1976 to 1978.[4]

An exemption granted by Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1988 allows a particularly low contact wire height in the tunnel areas in Echterdingen and at the airport.

The Stuttgart S-Bahn ran to Oberaichen from 27 May 1989 and it was extended to the airport on 18 April 1993.

A total of DM 356.7 million was invested for the upgrade of the line to the airport. Of this amount, DM 260 million was covered by funds for the establishment of the S-Bahn.[1]

On 29 March 1993, it was decided to extend the S-Bahn to Filderstadt-Bernhausen. On 16 August 1993, the sixth contract for establishing the S-Bahn was signed. In 1994 and 1995, during construction work at the airport, an approximately 400-metre-long tunnel section was built as cut and cover. Subsequently, the remaining 2.2 kilometres were bored from 1998. The bored tunnel cost DM 129.5 million and the adjoining railway station cost DM 47.53 million. The town of Filderstadt provided funds of DM 31.8 million. The town spent an additional DM 22.5 million on further measures, such as commuter parking and the renovation of the old station building, Overall, the S-Bahn extension thus cost DM 199.4 million.[5]

A single-track extension was opened to Filderstadt-Bernhausen on 29 September 2001. The new station is underground but part of the roof consists of windows. Although freight traffic was originally planned between Rohr and Leinfelden, no freight traffic now operates over the line. A bridge in Leinfelden, which was built in 1993, was intended for a siding, but it was never used for this purpose; it has been used for Stadtbahn operations since October 2015.

The line’s signal technology was improved in 2007 and 2008. As a result of this upgrade, which cost approximately €1.7 million, S-Bahn services on the line can now operate at five-minute intervals. These measures became necessary because passenger traffic increases to two to three times as many as usual were counted on days with public exhibitions.[6][7]