the direction of Stuttgart Airport, where they would meet the planned Wendlingen–Ulm high-speed railway. From the airport, the Gäu line trains going in the direction of Böblingen would take the existing S-Bahn tracks to Stuttgart-Rohr, and would connect to the existing Gäu line via a new Rohr loop. This new route would extend the distance to Böblingen by 4.4 kilometers and would lengthen the trip for a Regional-Express train by 5 minutes. For regional and long-distance trains from the direction of Singen, this new route would shorten the trip to the airport, and would no longer require a change of trains. However, at this time the exact nature of how Gäu line trains would stop at the airport is undecided. The use of the new Filder station would require the construction of a connecting line underneath the exhibition center at a cost of €100 million. The present plans call for the use of the existing S-Bahn station at the airport, but the Transport Ministry has so far shown no willingness to permit the required lowering of the tracks. One additional use of the present Gäu line tracks is their ability to serve as an alternate route in case of the blockage of the S-Bahn tunnel between Stuttgart-Rohr and Stuttgart Hbf. This capability would no longer exist if this section was eliminated. Local operations The district of Rottweil explored the possibility between June and October 2008 of expanding Ringzug operations from Rottweil to Horb on the Gäubahn. As a result of an expansion, the Regional-Express halts in Sulz am Neckar and Oberndorf am Neckar would be eliminated. These plans failed when the towns of Sulz and Oberndorf expressed their opposition. In addition, as a result of the reactivation of the Rankbach Railway for the Stuttgart S-Bahn, the districts of Calw and Böblingen underwrote a study in July 2008 to explore the expansion of the S 1 line to Eutingen and Nagold. See also History of the railway in Württemberg References Footnotes Sources Railway lines in Baden-Württemberg Swabian Jura Railway lines opened in 1866 1866 establishments in Germany 19th-century establishments in Württemberg Rail transport in Stuttgart Buildings and structures in Böblingen (district) Buildings and structures in Tübingen (district) Buildings and structures in Freudenstadt (district) Rottweil (district) Tuttlingen (district) Buildings and structures in Konstanz (district) Stuttgart S-Bahn