► The first section of the Teutoburger Wald-Eisenbahn (TWE)  opened on 1st November 1900 between Gütersloh and Laer.  Having a link to the State railway was of considerable importance for the region of eastern Westphalia  and the communities along its length.  Building the line was a courageous and visionary undertaking, opening up the settlements to traffic.  Without this the area would doubtless not be so prosperous as it is today.  Throughout its existence,  the TWE kept up with technical progress, starting   with steam locos and today having high-performance diesels for its goods trains.

The TWE today is a lean and modern transport company  which, since 2000, has been part of the Connex Group.