The line on the north side of the lake was created from the connection of the endpoints of the lines to Lake Constance of the railway companies of the surrounding countries:
Stahringen was connected to the railway network on 20 July 1867 by the Hegau-Ablach Valley Railway. The first section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway from Stahringen to Überlingen was opened on 18 August 1895. Friedrichshafen Stadt station was finally reached on 2 October 1901. The section from Lindau to Friedrichshafen had been commissioned two years earlier on 1 October 1899. Friedrichshafen had been connected by the Württemberg Southern Railway to Ravensburg since 8 November 1847; this line was connected with the Württemberg rail network at Ulm on 1 June 1850. On 22 December 1939, there was a great train wreck when a passenger and a freight train collided on the line between Markdorf and Kluftern, resulting in the deaths of 102 people. As earlier the same day two express trains had collided with each other in Genthin in Saxony-Anhalt with, it was the worst day of German railway history.
Branches
Oberuhldingen-Mühlhofen–Unteruhldingen railway, 2.53 kilometres long, opened on 2 October 1901 and closed on 31 October 1950 for passenger services
Mimmenhausen-Neufrach–Frickingen railway, 8.23 kilometres long, opened on 1 December 1905 and closed on 4 October 1953 for passenger services.
Rail operations
The Lake Constance Belt Railway is operated by hourly trains as two routes with different trains. The entire line from Radolfzell to Lindau is also served by five through passenger services each day.
Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen
The Radolfzell–Friedrichshafen section has been served hourly since 2003 by the Seehänsele regional service using Stadler Regio-Shuttle RS1 railcars. Some trains continue to Singen or to Friedrichshafen Hafen. In addition, every two hours Interregio-Express Sprinter services run between Ulm and Basel Bad, stopping only in Friedrichshafen, Überlingen and Radolfzell.
Friedrichshafen–Lindau
The Friedrichshafen–Lindau section is served by Regionalbahn trains roughly every hour, using Regio-Shuttle RS1, class 611 or class 628diesel multiple units. In addition, Inter-Regional Express services run hourly on the Ulm–Lindau route, as well as an intercity train pair from Munster to Innsbruck. On Saturdays in the winter season a pair of Intercity Ski Express Montafon trains also run from Frankfurt to Landeck.
Planned upgrade
As part of the electrification of the Southern Railway, the Friedrichshafen–Lindau section of the Lake Constance Belt Railway is also to be electrified. In March 2012, this project was included in the 2011–2015 investment plan in transport infrastructure of the federal government.
