The line opened on 23 August 1884 and links Marienplatz in the city centre to Degerloch on the Filder plateau.

The line connects the urban districts of Stuttgart South (Marienplatz) and Degerloch (Albplatz).

[10] Bikes can only be carried in the uphill direction and only for the entire journey from Marienplatz to Degerloch.

[4] These are bogie railcars of type ZT 4.1, numbered 1001-1003 and named Heslach,[13] Degerloch[13] and Helene.

[14] The fourth generation of electric railcars, type ZT 4.2, were built by Stadler Rail, with the first delivered to Stuttgart in Autumn 2021 and entering service in October 2022.

[18] The railcars look similar to the DT 8.12 vehicles, also built by Stadler, but the rack railway vehicles are only single cars and have a low-floor section in the centre, to improve accessibility for wheelchairs and pushchairs.