The cog railroad has been transporting tourists and locals up and down the hill since 1884. The route is over 2.2 kilometers long, and the "Zacke" has to overcome a gradient of up to 17.8 percent to reach the Degerloch district, which is more than 200 meters higher.
In the past, the "Zacke" was primarily a means of transportation for workers from the Filder villages who worked in the industrial companies in Stuttgart city centre. The rack railroad was also used to transport goods such as crops, milk and building materials. But that was a long time ago. Today, passengers transport bicycles instead - the "Zacke" has a special trailer for this purpose.
Incidentally, the "Zacke" is a real rarity. There are only four cogwheel railroads left in Germany: the Zugspitzbahn, the Wendelsteinbahn, the Drachenfelsbahn and the "Zacke". This makes it the only cogwheel railroad in Germany that runs in a city and is integrated into the local public transport system. According to Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen AG (SSB), 2500 to 3000 passengers use the Zacke every day.
