The line from Weesen via Näfels-Mollis to Glarus was opened on 15 February 1859 by the United Swiss Railways (Vereinigte Schweizerbahnen, VSB).

The line from Glarus via Schwanden to Linthal was opened on 1 June 1879 by the Swiss Northeastern Railway (Schweizerische Nordostbahn, NOB).

The Lake Zürich left-bank railway, which was built by the NOB, was extended from Ziegelbrücke to Näfels-Mollis station on 20 September 1875.

Currently (as of April 2018), the Netstal station has an old, non-standard platform on track 2 and this could be used during a disruption of operations, but it would require special provisions.

It replaced the Glarner Sprinter in June 2014 and serves all stations (except Nieder- and Oberurnen) on this line as well as Siebnen-Wangen, Lachen, Pfäffikon SZ, Wädenswil and Zürich HB.

Services on line S6 of the St. Gallen S-Bahn also run on the Ziegelbrücke–Schwanden route hourly, resulting in a combined half-hourly cycle.

[4] An extension of the route to the south to Biasca in the canton of Ticino, connecting to the Gotthard Railway towards Chiasso was considered around 1900.