Rail transport in Austria
Encyclopedia
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...
is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is 1,435 mm (Standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
) and 3,523 km are electrified.
Austria is a member of the International Union of Railways
International Union of Railways
The UIC , or International Union of Railways, is an international rail transport industry body.- Brief history :The railways of Europe originated as separate concerns. There were many border changes after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. Colonial railways were the responsibility of the...
(UIC). The UIC Country Code
UIC Country Code
The UIC Country Code is a two digit number used to identify member countries of the International Union of Railways . The UIC has issued numbering systems for rolling stock and train stations that both contain the UIC Country Code. The values are defined in UIC leaflet 920-14.-Table of Codes:-...
for Austria is 81.
History
The history of Austrian rail transport starts with the ReisszugReisszug
The Reisszug is a private funicular railway providing goods access to the Hohensalzburg Castle at Salzburg in Austria...
, a private funicular serving the Fortress of Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. Built at the end of the 15th century and first documented in 1515, it is the oldest known funicular in the world, and possibly the oldest existing railway line
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
.
In the 19th century, after a building of several horse tramways
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
, it opened in 1837 the Nordbahn line 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...
-Břeclav
Breclav
Břeclav is a town in the South Moravian Region, Czech Republic, approximately 55 km southeast of Brno. It is located at the border with Lower Austria on the Dyje River. The nearest large town on Austrian territory is Hohenau an der March...
. The Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways, a company serving Austrian side 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...
, was created in 1884 and in 1923, some years after the dissolution of the empire, it was founded the national company "ÖBB".
Network
Austrian network, out of the principal rail system, also counts some funicularFunicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
s, rack railway
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
s and lot of heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
s mainly derived from part of disused lines. Some secondary lines have a narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
.
Urban railways
- ViennaViennaVienna 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...
counts a system of S-BahnVienna S-BahnThe Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban metro railway network in Vienna, Austria. As opposed to the city-run urban metro network, the Vienna U-Bahn, it extends beyond the borders of the city, is operated by the ÖBB , and consists of many branch lines...
, U-BahnVienna U-BahnThe Vienna U-Bahn is a rapid transit system consisting of five lines. It is the backbone of one of the best performing public transport systems worldwide according to UITP in June 2009. More than 1.3 million passengers use the Vienna U-Bahn every day...
, and a large tramway networkTrams in ViennaThe Vienna tramway network is a vital part of the public transport system in Vienna, capital city of Austria. In operation since 1865, the network reached its greatest extent during the interwar period . Today, it is still one of world's largest tram networks, at about in total length.The trams...
. - GrazGrazThe more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
counts a regional S-Bahn, an extended tramway networkTrams in GrazThe Graz tramway network forms part of the public transport system in Graz, which is both the capital city of the federal state of Styria in Austria, and the second largest city in Austria.In operation since 1878, the network presently has nine lines....
and a funicular. - LinzLinzLinz 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...
counts a regional S-Bahn in project and a tramway network including the PöstlingbergbahnPöstlingbergbahnThe Pöstlingbergbahn is a narrow-gauge electric railway, or "mountain tramway", in Linz, Austria. It connects the main square in the center of Linz with the district of Pöstlingberg, located at the top of a hill at the northern end of the city...
. - SalzburgSalzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
counts a regional S-Bahn and a funicularFestungsbahn (Salzburg)The Festungsbahn is a funicular railway providing public access to the Hohensalzburg Castle at Salzburg in Austria. It links the castle with Festungsgasse, under the north side of the castle walls...
. - InnsbruckInnsbruck- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
counts a regional S-BahnInnsbruck S-BahnThe Tyrol S-Bahn provides regional rail services in metropolitan Innsbruck, Austria and its hinterlands. At present, it is only a nominally an S-Bahn in that it only operates on the lines of the Austrian Federal Railways...
, a tramway network and a funicularHungerburgbahnHungerburgbahn is a hybrid funicular railway in Innsbruck, Austria, opened to the public on 1 December 2007. The system consists of four stations:* Congress * Löwenhaus* Alpenzoo* Hungerburg...
. - The little town of GmundenGmundenGmunden 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...
counts a tramway lineGmunden StraßenbahnThe Gmunden Tramway , located in Gmunden, Austria, is the shortest and oldest remaining tram system in Austria. It is operated by Stern & Hafferl, which was founded in 1893. The tramway was opened on 13 August 1894. It is 2.3 km long...
. - The village of SerfausSerfausSerfaus is a municipality in the district of Landeck in Tyrol, Austria. It is located at , with a population of 1,091 .-Geography:Serfaus is a small town located on a plateau in the upper Inn valley in Tyrol, Austria. It is well known for its connection to the Ski-Area "Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis" and its...
, with the DorfbahnDorfbahn SerfausThe Dorfbahn Serfaus is an unusual underground air cushion funicular transit system in the Tyrolian village of Serfaus in Austria. The name literally translates as Serfaus Village Railway.-Overview:...
, is sometimes considered as the smallest town with a subway in the world.
See also
- Austrian Federal Railways (history)
- ÖBB Rolling StockÖBB Rolling StockThis is a list of the rolling stock operated by the Austrian Federal Railway , including retired classes.- Steam Locomotives :- Tenders :- Electric Locomotives :- Diesel Locomotives :- Steam railcars :- Electrical multiple units :...
- Transport in AustriaTransport in AustriaThis article provides an overview of the transportation infrastructure in the country of Austria.- Railways :total: 6,123 km standard gauge: 5,639 km gauge ....
- :Category:Railway stations in Austria
- RailjetRailjetThe Railjet is a high speed train of the Austrian Federal Railways , which was introduced with the timetable change of 2008–2009 and operates at speeds of up to , with a planned increase to by 2013...
, the national high speed train - S-Bahn in Austria
- List of town tramway systems in Austria
- Rail transport in LiechtensteinRail transport in LiechtensteinLiechtenstein's railway is operated by the Austrian Federal Railways. The railway only incidentally serves stations in Liechtenstein, and is an exception to the more usual co-operation with Switzerland, such as Liechteinstein's use of the Swiss franc as its currency and its common customs area...
