Stuttgart rack railroad, © SMG, Achim Mende

Cogwheel Train Stuttgart (Zacke)

The straightest route is known to be the shortest. In Stuttgart, that means overcoming extreme gradients. From Marienplatz to Degerloch, the cogwheel railway, affectionately known as the "Zacke" by the people of Stuttgart, has been climbing up the up to 17.8 percent steep route since 1884 - with the most magnificent Stuttgart panoramic views. An incomparable tour that you can't miss.

The Stuttgart Zacke is the only rack-and-pinion railway in Germany that mainly serves the normal, daily commuter traffic of a large city. The Zacke's rolling stock consists of three four-axle ZT 4 rack-and-pinion railcars (built in 1982), with two cars always in service as scheduled.

And because the incline is quite strenuous, at least uphill with a bicycle, you can easily transport your two-wheeler on the trailer.

You can find the current Zacke timetable on the VVS website.

Location & Contact

Zahnradbahn Stuttgart
Marienplatz
70178 Stuttgart

Plan your trip

Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart GmbH
VVS timetable information

Deutsche Bahn AG
DB timetable information

Please accept the use of all cookies to view the content of this site.

Accept all cookies