In 1916 the imperial and royal military administrations began building the railway. At that time it served as an important supply route for the Dolomite front. During the 2-year construction period of the 51 km long route with its characteristic viaducts, bridges and tunnels, mainly 6,000 Russian and Serbian prisoners of war were used for the work. In 1917 the first supply transports for the front were carried out and from January 1918 the train could be used for passenger transport with a journey time of 4 hours from Auer to Predazzo. In 1930 therailway, originally pulled by a steam locomotive, was electrified. This reduced the travel time to 2 hours. Due to the constantly growing mobilization and the introduction of a bus connection to the Fiemme Valley, the railway became less and less important. In 1963 the company was closed. Today the railway line is a popular route for hikers and cyclists.