The Bavarian King Ludwig I's decision that the line would run from Donauwörth via Nördlingen and Gunzenhausen to Nuremberg was proclaimed on 7 October.

When planning started in 1875 for new lines in Bavaria, two possible routes, Pleinfeld–Kelheim via Heideck, Thalmaessing, Greding, Beilngries and Dietfurt and Pleinfeld–Schwandorf via Hilpoltstein, Freystadt and Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz were identified.

On 9 April 1904, Pleinfeld petitioned for the building of a marshalling yard, because it wanted to be a node for the operations of local freight traffic following the construction of the Donauwörth–Treuchtlingen line.

An electro-mechanical interlocking of class VES was put into operation on 25 August 1933 and the electrification of the line was completed in 1935.

Towards the end of the Second World War the entire overhead wiring in the station area was destroyed by U.S. strafing on 5 March 1945.

The trains continued under their own momentum and were assisted by a steam locomotive back to the electrified section of track.

The first battery electric multiple unit of class ETA 150 ran from Pleinfeld to Nördlingen on 20 March 1959.

A new track plan interlocking of class Sp Dr S60[4] was put into operation on 31 July 1979.

Track 1 is the “home” platform (next to the station building), and is no longer used for scheduled passenger services.