A Bavarian politician, Gustav von Schlör advocated the planning of the line in 1862 during a tour of the route via Fürth and Zirndorf to Crailsheim.

For this extension, all intermediate S-Bahn stations were upgraded to provide barrier-free access for the disabled, with the exception of Oberasbach,[4] where planning for the redevelopment had not yet been completed.

It then crosses the Ring line (Ringbahn), the Südwesttangente ("South-west tangent" freeway) and the Main–Danube Canal and reaches Nürnberg-Stein station, where the Bibert Railway (Bibertbahn) branched off to Unternbibert-Rügland until 1986.

[7] The Nuremberg–Schnelldorf section is served by Regionalbahn line R7 and is integrated into the Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nürnberg (Greater Nuremberg Transport Association, VGN).

[8] In regional traffic, Regional-Express services on the Nuremberg–Crailsheim–Stuttgart route were previously formed of Class 111electric locomotives and Silberling carriages as push-pull trains.

In order to avoid capacity bottlenecks, the Silberling carriages were replaced by double-decker wagons with high entrances at the beginning of 2017.

On 7 October 2009 the Bavarian Ministry of Transport and the Deutsche Bahn signed an agreement to plan to extension of line S4 of the S-Bahn from Ansbach to Dombühl.

Construction of the €5 million project, including the adaptation of the line and signalling and the reopening of Leutershausen-Wiedersbach station, was originally planned to be completed in December 2013,[9] but was delayed until the end of 2017.