Imperial Austrian State Railways
Encyclopedia
The Imperial Royal State Railways was the state railway organisation in the Cisleithania
n (Austrian) part of Austria-Hungary
.
had been pushed by pioneers like physicist František Josef Gerstner
(1756-1832), who advocated a railway connection from the Vltava
basin across the Bohemian Massif
to the Danube
river. After in 1810 a first 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) long horse-drawn railway line was built at the Eisenerz
mine in Styria
for the transport of iron stones, in 1832 a wagonway
between Austrian Linz
and České Budějovice
(Budweis) in Bohemia
opened. It was 128.8 kilometres (80 mi) long and was the second interurban railway in continental Europe (after the French Saint-Étienne
–Andrézieux
line opened in 1827). The southern continuation from Linz to Gmunden
was finished in 1836.
The first section of a new steam locomotive
railway from the Austrian capital Vienna
to Kraków
in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
operated by the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway company opened in 1837. Designed by Franz Xaver Riepl
, it was financed by the banker Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
. After intial hesitation, the Austrian state took a keen interest in railways, and in late 1854, 994 kilometres (617.6 mi) out of 1443 kilometres (896.6 mi) of railway lines were state owned (almost 70%). However the Southern Railway
from Vienna to the seaport at Trieste
via the Semmering Pass opened in 1857 was operated by the private Austrian Southern Railway
company.
After 1854, because of financial crisis in the Empire, the railways in the Austrian part were sold at prices cut to the bone, many of them, like the Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company
to French
investors. Concessions for new private companies were granted.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Transleithanian (Hungarian) lines were nationalized as the Hungarian State Railways
(MÁV). The Long Depression
, started by Vienna stock market crash in 1873, resulted in the bankruptcy of several Austrian railways, and the state took them over.
At the end of 1884 the state railway network covered 5,103 km. On July 1, 1884 the "k.k. Generaldirektion der Staatsbahnen" ("Imperial General Directorate of the State Railways") was founded; this was the birth of the "kaiserlich-königliche Staatsbahnen" (abbreviated as "kkStB" or "k.k.St.B.").
By nationalizing other companies or taking over their traffic the company obtained a practical monopoly
in railway transport. "Südbahn" (SB, southern railway) was the only major company that remained private until the end of Empire. In 1914, of a total of 22,981 km of railway tracks on Austrian territory, 18,859 (82%) were state owned.
After the end of the First World War the vehicle fleet and infrastructure of kkStB were divided among state railway companies of successor states: Czechoslovak State Railways
(ČSD) in Czechoslovakia
, Deutschösterreichische Staatsbahnen (DÖStB) in Austria
(in 1919 renamed to Österreichische Staatsbahnen, ÖStB, in 1921 renamed to Bundesbahn Österreich
, BBÖ), and others.
Cisleithania
Cisleithania was a name of the Austrian part of Austria-Hungary, the Dual Monarchy created in 1867 and dissolved in 1918. The name was used by politicians and bureaucrats, but it had no official status...
n (Austrian) part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
.
Early history
The introduction of railway traffic in the Austrian EmpireAustrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
had been pushed by pioneers like physicist František Josef Gerstner
František Josef Gerstner
František Josef Gerstner was a Bohemian physicist and engineer.Gerstner studied at the Jesuits gymnasium in Chomutov, after which he studied mathematics and astronomy at the Faculty of Philosophy in Prague between 1772 and 1777. In 1781, he started to study medicine in Vienna, but quickly decided...
(1756-1832), who advocated a railway connection from the Vltava
Vltava
The Vltava is the longest river in the Czech Republic, running north from its source in Šumava through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice, and Prague, merging with the Elbe at Mělník...
basin across the Bohemian Massif
Bohemian Massif
The Bohemian Massif; or Český masiv; is in the geology of Central Europe a large massif stretching over central Czech republic, eastern Germany, southern Poland and northern Austria...
to the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river. After in 1810 a first 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) long horse-drawn railway line was built at the Eisenerz
Eisenerz
Eisenerz is a market place and old mining town in Styria, Austria, . N.W. of Graz by rail. Pop. 6,400. It is situated in the deep Erzbach Valley, dominated on the east by the Pfaffenstein , on the west by the Kaiserschild , and on the south by the Erzberg...
mine in Styria
Duchy of Styria
The history of Styria concerns the region roughly corresponding to the modern Austrian state of Styria and the Slovene region of Styria from its settlement by Germans and Slavs in the Dark Ages until the present...
for the transport of iron stones, in 1832 a wagonway
Wagonway
Wagonways consisted of the horses, equipment and tracks used for hauling wagons, which preceded steam powered railways. The terms "plateway", "tramway" and in someplaces, "dramway" are also found.- Early developments :...
between Austrian Linz
Linz
Linz is the third-largest city of Austria and capital of the state of Upper Austria . It is located in the north centre of Austria, approximately south of the Czech border, on both sides of the river Danube. The population of the city is , and that of the Greater Linz conurbation is about...
and České Budějovice
Ceské Budejovice
České Budějovice is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian Region and is the political and commercial capital of the region and centre of the Roman Catholic Diocese of České Budějovice and of the University of South Bohemia and the Academy of Sciences...
(Budweis) in Bohemia
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia was a country located in the region of Bohemia in Central Europe, most of whose territory is currently located in the modern-day Czech Republic. The King was Elector of Holy Roman Empire until its dissolution in 1806, whereupon it became part of the Austrian Empire, and...
opened. It was 128.8 kilometres (80 mi) long and was the second interurban railway in continental Europe (after the French Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
–Andrézieux
Andrézieux-Bouthéon
Andrézieux-Bouthéon is a commune of the Loire department in central France.-See also:* Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon Airport* Furan River* ASF Andrézieux* HEF Groupe*Communes of the Loire department...
line opened in 1827). The southern continuation from Linz to Gmunden
Gmunden
Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,202 inhabitants . It is much frequented as a health and summer resort, and has a variety of goat, lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc...
was finished in 1836.
The first section of a new steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
railway from the Austrian capital Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
operated by the Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway company opened in 1837. Designed by Franz Xaver Riepl
Franz Xaver Riepl
Franz Xaver Riepl was an important Austrian geologist, railway and metallurgical specialist.Riepl was born in Graz, Austria, on 20 November 1790. Between 1820 and 1835 he worked as a professor at the Vienna Technical University. It was from him that the initiative came to quarry the Styrian Ore...
, it was financed by the banker Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild was a German-born banker in the Austrian Empire and the founder of the Viennese branch of the prominent Mayer Amschel Rothschild family....
. After intial hesitation, the Austrian state took a keen interest in railways, and in late 1854, 994 kilometres (617.6 mi) out of 1443 kilometres (896.6 mi) of railway lines were state owned (almost 70%). However the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Austria)
The Southern Railway is a two-track, electrified railway line in Austria that runs from Vienna to Graz and Trieste via Wiener Neustadt and the Semmering Pass and is one of the major lines of Austria. It was originally built by the Austrian Southern Railway...
from Vienna to the seaport at Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
via the Semmering Pass opened in 1857 was operated by the private Austrian Southern Railway
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
company.
After 1854, because of financial crisis in the Empire, the railways in the Austrian part were sold at prices cut to the bone, many of them, like the Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company
Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company
The Imperial Royal Privileged Austrian State Railway Company , later the Privileged Austro-Hungarian State Railway Company was a private railway company in the Austro-Hungarian Empire...
to French
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
investors. Concessions for new private companies were granted.
After the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Transleithanian (Hungarian) lines were nationalized as the Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways
Hungarian State Railways is the Hungarian national railway company, with divisions "MÁV Start Zrt" and "MÁV Cargo Zrt" ....
(MÁV). The Long Depression
Long Depression
The Long Depression was a worldwide economic crisis, felt most heavily in Europe and the United States, which had been experiencing strong economic growth fueled by the Second Industrial Revolution in the decade following the American Civil War. At the time, the episode was labeled the Great...
, started by Vienna stock market crash in 1873, resulted in the bankruptcy of several Austrian railways, and the state took them over.
Austrian state railways
By nationalizing other companies or taking over their traffic the company obtained a practical monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
in railway transport. "Südbahn" (SB, southern railway) was the only major company that remained private until the end of Empire. In 1914, of a total of 22,981 km of railway tracks on Austrian territory, 18,859 (82%) were state owned.
After the end of the First World War the vehicle fleet and infrastructure of kkStB were divided among state railway companies of successor states: Czechoslovak State Railways
Czechoslovak State Railways
Czechoslovak State Railways was a state-owned railway company in Czechoslovakia.The company was created in 1918, after the end of First World War and the breakup of Austria-Hungary...
(ČSD) in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Deutschösterreichische Staatsbahnen (DÖStB) in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
(in 1919 renamed to Österreichische Staatsbahnen, ÖStB, in 1921 renamed to Bundesbahn Österreich
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
, BBÖ), and others.
External links
- History of Austrian Railway until 1918 (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
, as HTML)