Servus and welcome to the Filstalbahn, one of the busiest rail corridors in the State of Baden-Württemberg. Starting in the state capital Stuttgart, the Filstalbahn runs through the towns in the Fils valley before climbing over the Swabian Jura mountain range and descending back towards the city of Ulm, on the border to Bavaria. The route suggested here has a 2022 timetable in mind, as this was the year when changes to enhance regional services were executed, whilst still featuring long-distance trains on the route, which moved to the new high-speed line in 2023. Quick Facts: Length: 99km Max. Speed: 160km/h Track Gauge: 1435mm (Standard Gauge) Catenary Voltage: 15kV 16.7Hz Safety Systems: PZB Route: Stuttgart Hbf We start our journey in the state capital of Baden-Württemberg: Stuttgart. Opened in 1928, the station has 18 platform tracks (16 dead-end tracks above and 2 through-running below ground) and is a central hub in southern Germany. Currently still in the final construction phase, the current station will be replaced by a new underground through-running station, known as "Stuttgart 21". Here you can change to ICE services towards Köln, Hamburg, Berlin or München, TGV services to Paris; regional services to Karlsruhe, Würzburg, Nürnberg and many other locations in Baden-Württemberg, as well as to the Stuttgart S-Bahn. There is also a Flixtrain service to Berlin and a Westbahn service to Vienna. Bad Cannstatt After leaving the main station, we turn west and pass under the Rosensteinpark in a short tunnel, before crossing the river Neckar. To the left, we can see the new bridge, which connects the existing lines to the new main station. In Bad Cannstatt, the Filstalbahn towards Ulm and the Remsbahn towards Nördlingen split. We turn south-west and follow the line towards Esslingen. Untertürkheim In Untertürkheim, the line from the Kornwestheim Rbf marshalling yard feeds to the Filstalbahn. Freight services on this route will begin in the Untertürkheim Gbf freight yard, where trains wait for their slots on the Filstalbahn. In Untertürkheim, we also find a single track leading towards the Stuttgart Harbour and the Mercedes-Benz factory, where drive-train components are manufactured. Esslingen Esslingen is the first town after leaving the city limits of Stuttgart. It is served by all regional services and is the replacement stop for long-distance services, should Stuttgart Hbf be closed. Plochingen In Plochingen, the river Fils feeds into the Neckar. From here, we will follow the Fils towards the Swabian Jura. Half of the S1 services terminate here in Plochingen, whilst the other half continues towards Kirchheim unter Teck. It is also the starting point of the Obere Neckarbahn, which runs south-west towards the Black Forest and south along its western edge to Immendingen, near the Swiss border. Göppingen After a few smaller towns along the Fils, we arrive in Göppingen, where some long-distance services stop; otherwise, most freight trains stop here for overtakes. Göppingen is also famous for the model-railway manufacturer Märklin, which has been producing them here since 1891. Geislingen Geislingen is the starting point of the famous Geislinger Steige, one of the steepest main line sections in Europe. For heavy freight trains, banking engines are used, similar to the Spessartrampe on MSB. The banking engines join their assigned freight trains in Geislingen West and push them until Amstetten. In Geislingen, half of the MEX16 services terminate, whilst the other half continues towards Ulm. Amstetten The steep inclines of the Geislinger Steige end right before Amstetten. The banking engines leave their assigned services, reverse and drive back alone towards Geislingen. A short narrow-gauge heritage railway, as well as a Sunday/holiday-only branch line, starts in Amstetten. Ulm Hbf After descending back down the mountain range, we reach our destination: Ulm. Located on the left side of the river Donau, on which the state border between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria lies. Due to its strategic location south of the Swabian Jura, it is a big hub for regional services into south-eastern Baden-Württemberg and further into south-western Bavaria. Services: - no intermediate stops / = all intermediate stops / () limited service / [] destinations beyond this route ICE11: [Berlin - Wittenberg - Lepizig - Erfurt - Fulda - Frankfurt - Mannheim -] Stuttgart Hbf - Ulm Hbf [- Augsburg - München] ICE42: [Hamburg Altona - Bremen - Münster - Dortmund - Hagen - Wuppertal - Köln - Frankfurt Flughafen - Mannheim -] Stuttgart Hbf - Ulm Hbf [- Augsburg - München] ICE60: [(Basel -) Karlsruhe - Bruchsal -] Stuttgart Hbf - Ulm Hbf [- Augsburg - München] ICE/TGV83: [Paris Est - Strasbourg - Karlsruhe - ] Stuttgart Hbf (- Ulm Hbf [- Augsburg - München]) ICE/IC32: [Dortmund - Bochum - Düsseldorf - Köln - Bonn - Koblenz - Mainz - Mannheim - Heidelberg -] Stuttgart Hbf - (Plochingen - Göppingen -) Ulm Hbf [- Memmingen - Kempten - Sonthofen - Oberstdorf] EC62: [Frankfurt - Darmstadt - Heidelberg -] Stuttgart Hbf - Ulm Hbf [- Augsburg - München - Rosenheim - Salzburg] RE5: Stuttgart Hbf - Esslingen - Plochingen - Göppingen - Geislingen - Ulm [- Laupheim - Biberach - Aulendorf - Ravensburg - Friedrichshafen (- Lindau)] MEX12: [(Mosbach =) Heilbronn = Bietigheim-Bissingen -] Stuttgart Hbf - Bad Cannstatt - Esslingen - Plochingen [= Nürtingen = Metzingen = Reutlingen = Tübingen] MEX16: Stuttgart Hbf - Bad Cannstatt - Esslingen - Plochingen = Göppingen = Geislingen (= Amstetten = Ulm) MEX18: [Osterburken = Heilbronn = Bietigheim-Bissingen -] Stuttgart Hbf - Esslingen - Plochingen [= Nürtingen = Metzingen = Reutlingen = Tübingen] S1: [Herrenberg = Böblingen = Vaihingen =] Stuttgart - Bad Cannstatt = Esslingen = Plochingen [(- Kirchheim)] S11: [Herrenberg = Böblingen = Vaihingen =] Stugartt Hbf - Bad Cannstatt - Neckarpark Rolling Stock: DB BR 146.2 Traxx P160 AC2 The old and trusted 146 will find another home on this route, operating on the RE5 service. I've suggested a Traxx remaster here: Traxx 2 (BR 146 & 185) Remaster. The trains are operated by DB. Arverio BR 1427 / 1429 FLIRT 3 These three and five-car EMUs are used on the MEX16 service between Stuttgart and Ulm. Since the FLIRT 3 was released in 2013, it has become one of the most popular and common EMUs on the European Rail network. The trains are operated by Arverio (ex. Go-Ahead), which is owned by ÖBB. DB BR 430.0 The S-Bahn Stuttgart was the first network on which the 430 saw service. Whilst they were plagued by major technical difficulties in the beginning, they have since then redeemed themselves as a reliable and fast commuter train. The fleet is currently undergoing a modernisation program to enable ETCS and ATO operations, enlarge the bike storage in the interior and repaint the exterior with the new S-Bahn Stuttgart livery. The trains are operated by DB. DB BR 401 ICE 1 (layer from KWG) The old familiar ICE1 is used on the ICE lines 11 and 60. The trains are operated by DB. DB BR 101 (layer from 101 DLCs) The 101 is used on the IC 32 service. The trains are operated by DB. ÖBB Rh 1116 Taurus (layer from SBN) The Taurus is used on the EC62 service. The trains are operated by ÖBB. Optional Extras: ICE 4 DLC: DB BR 412 ICE 4 Introduced in 2016, the ICE 4 is the new workhorse of the ICE network. They are replacing older ICE 1 and ICE 2 units on the older high-speed and upgraded lines with a maximum speed of 200-250km/h. The trains are operated by DB. Modified Layers: DB BR 8442 Talent 2 The Talent 2 is used on the MEX12 and MEX18 services. Due to a different interior and livery, the trains need to be modified to be layered from another currently available route. The trains are operated by DB (ex. SWEG).
