It is a major axis for long distance and regional passenger freight transport in the northern Ruhr.

On 18 December 1843, the Prussian government granted a concession to the trunk line to the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (German, old spelling: Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, CME) for the line, which began at what was then the CME station in Deutz (now a suburb of Cologne) with the construction of the first section to Düsseldorf, which was opened on 20 December 1845.

[2] The route of the next section to Oberhausen, Altenessen, Gelsenkirchen, Wanne, Herne and Dortmund to Hamm was chosen over a route close to the coal mines that were then located on the north bank of the Ruhr because it was cheaper to build as it largely avoided hills.

On 15 October 1847 the last section was opened to Minden, thus completing the entire 263 kilometre long, single track railway.

[6] Since the railway line was opened from Duisburg to Dortmund it has grown in importance as the centre of coal mining in the Ruhr has migrated north and it has continually been modernized.

Since December 2019, this has operated as the RB 32 (Rhein-Emscher-Bahn), but running only on the Duisburg–Dortmund railway route, skipping the stations between Dortmund-Mengede and Dortmund.