The double-track electrified main line connects Untertürkheim with Kornwestheim and serves primarily as a bypass for freight around Stuttgart Central Station (Hauptbahnhof).

The name Schusterbahn (“Shoemaker Railway”) refers to the Salamander shoe factory founded in Kornwestheim by a relative of Albert Einstein in 1899.

A rail link makes a direct transition to the Rems Railway (Remsbahn) possible from the south, while trains coming from the north must pass through to the freight yard.

In Bad Cannstatt, the line passes through the Kurpark (spa park) and over the Neckar on the Stuttgart-Münster viaduct at a height of 30 metres.

In addition, it is also used by some diverted trains (e.g. when access to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof is blocked) and some short S-Bahn line services.