Aalen Hauptbahnhof 2.57

Aalen Hauptbahnhof is a junction on the Rems Railway from Stuttgart, the Brenz Railway from Ulm, the Upper Jagst Railway to Crailsheim and Ries Railway to Donauwörth. The station is located 200 metres northeast of the historic old town (Altstadt) of Aalen in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 3 station.HistoryDespite disagreements between the countries of Württemberg and Bavaria, which did not have a common concept of a cross-border railway, the Rems Railway (link=no) was opened by the Royal Württemberg State Railways on 18 July 1861. Aalen was not planned as a railway junction and the station at first was small with eight railway employees who also had postal duties. An extension of the railway towards Nördlingen—now considered part of the Ries Railway (Riesbahn)—opened on 3 October 1863. The third connection was achieved on 13 September 1864 with the opening of the Brenz Railway (Brenzbahn) to Heidenheim (the connection from Heidenheim to Ulm was not completed until 1876 because of the so-called Brenzbahn clause of the treaty between Württemberg and Bavaria that authorised construction of the Rems Railway). The Upper Jagst Railway (Oberen Jagstbahn) to Crailsheim was opened on 15 November 1866 and it was connected to Schwäbisch Hall on 10 December 1867 with the extension of the Hohenlohe Railway (Hohenlohebahn). In 1865, a railway repair shop was established in Aalen, which was later the basis for the train depot.