We bid farewell to our highly esteemed faculty member, former Vice-Rector and Dean, and long-time member of the Senate, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Gerhard Heimerl. Born in 1933, he was appointed to the chair of "Railways and Public Transport" in today's Faculty 2 in 1973 after studying civil engineering, obtaining his doctorate and holding positions with the German Federal Railways and the Ministry of Transport. He headed the Institute of Railway and Transportatioin Engineering (IEV) until 2001. His scientific work in the field of public transport has gained importance far beyond the borders of the university, especially due to the integrative and interdisciplinary combination of engineering and transport economics aspects, and has in part become the standard in the design of transport systems in Germany. Through his expertise and persistent work, however, he also ensured that the S-Bahn stop directly under the Vaihingen campus was built. The original plan of the Deutsche Bundesbahn included a stop almost two kilometers away in the Dachswald area and a bus connection. He was also responsible for the outlines of the Stuttgart21 project, including the new Stuttgart-Ulm line.
The award of the Federal Cross of Merit as well as the Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg and the honorary doctorate of the Technical University of Dresden mark Prof. Heimerl's recognized social commitment, which clearly went beyond his professional obligations.
The faculty thanks Gerhard Heimerl for his many years of service and will remember him as a dedicated researcher and university teacher.
Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.
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