At the end of the 19th century there were plans for the construction of a bypass railway around Berlin to relieve the congested lines in the city of freight for strategic military reasons.

Between 1902 and 1908, the western section of the bypass between Treuenbrietzen, Beelitz, Potsdam Wildpark, Wustermark and Nauen went into operation.

The section between Michendorf and Saarmund remained of great importance as a connection to the Seddin marshalling yard.

In the early 1950s, operations on the mainline tracks of the Anhalt railway between Teltow and West Berlin were abandoned.

As part of this project, the junction of the Michendorf–Großbeeren railway in Großbeeren station was rebuilt and a new connecting curve was built west of the old line.

At times, up to about 1970, the section from Genshagener Heide to Großbeeren and continuing to Teltow was served by some trains during the peak hour because, on the one hand, the Ludwigsfelde car factory had been built near Genshagener Heide station and, on the other hand, it gave a connection towards Berlin.

With the completion of the Outer Ring, passenger trains to Potsdam no longer stopped in Michendorf.

The section between Saarmund and Genshagener Heide was served by RB 22 services, which ran over the Outer Ring between Potsdam and Berlin-Schönefeld.

For another year until December 2012, some trains from Berlin to Belzig that had been diverted due to construction ran on the section.

In freight transport, the line is important for connecting to and from Seddin marshalling yard and for trains from southern and western Germany to the east that bypass central Berlin.

However, the volume of freight on the railway declined compared to the situation during the existence of the German Democratic Republic.