The section between Remscheid and Solingen was built after the BME's nationalisation by the Prussian state railways.

In 1867, the Bergisch-Märkische Railway, after many years of negotiations, began work on the construction of a 5.6-kilometre spur line to the city of Solingen (well known for its production of knives and scissors) from Ohligs station (then called Ohligs Wald and now called Solingen Hauptbahnhof).

20 years later, on 12 February 1890, Solingen received a much better connection towards the Ruhr with the opening of the Solingen–Wuppertal-Vohwinkel line, known as the Korkenzieherbahn ("Corkscrew Railway"), to Vohwinkel.

It gained the concession to build the last section of this line between Bergisch Born and Opladen only on 12 June 1872.

[8] The remaining section between Remscheid and Solingen crossed very difficult topography and it was not completed until 1897 following the construction of several bridges.

After the Second World War operations changed from steam to diesel haulage and in the 1970s freight traffic declined.

A replacement station was opened at the same time at Solingen Grünewald, not far away from the old Hauptbahnhof and much better connected to the city and buses.

Since December 2022, Regional Express line RE47 runs hourly on the section between Solingen Hauptbahnhof and Remscheid-Lennep Due to the mountainous landscape, the railway required the building of numerous structures such as bridges and tunnels.

Every autumn the so-called Brückenfest ("bridge festival") is held, during which special trains are also operated on the line.

Another notable structure is the Rauenthal Tunnel in Wuppertal, through which the railway runs between Oberbarmen and Ronsdorf under a mountain range and the residential area located on it.