Salzburg-Tyrol Railway

Salzburg–Wörgl
Line number: 101 03
Line length: 191.730 km
Track gauge: 1,435 mm
Voltage: 15 kV / 16.7 Hz AC
Maximum incline: 2.6  %
Minimum radius: 200 m
Maximum speed: 140 km/h
Legend
 from Munich Hbf
0,000 Salzburg Hbf  S2   S3 , transition to the  S1  426 m AA
(junction with the Salzburger Lokalbahn)
Western Railway to Vienna Westbf
2,100 Salzburg Sam  S3  since 2004
link line to the Western Railway after branch-off to Hallwang-E.
2,401 Salzburg Gnigl Vbf
2,975 Salzburg Gnigl  S3  since 2003
3,495 Salzburg Gnigl Vbf Einfahrgruppe
4,490 Salzburg Parsch since 2003  S3 
5,756 Salzburg Aigen  S3 
7,927 Salzburg Süd  S3 
8,092 Hellbrunn-Glasenbach 28.05.1978 closed
8,988 Elsbethen  S3  429 m AA
12,203 Salzburg Aigen 5 crossover
13,200 Puch Urstein since 2005  S3 
15,255
15,300
Break in kilometrage (-45 m)
14,524 Puch bei Hallein  S3 
15,970 Oberalm since end of 2006  S3 
17,808 Hallein  S3  445 m AA
19,350 Hallein Burgfried since 2005  S3 
20,923 Bad Vigaun  S3 
22,380 Kuchl Garnei since 2005  S3 
22,875 Hallein 3 crossover
25,167 Kuchl Lst (passing loop)
25,580 Kuchl  S3 
28,764 Golling-Abtenau  S3  468 m AA
Salzach
31,529 siding (passing loop)
31,556 siding (passing loop)
34,464 Golling-Abtenau 2 crossover
Ofenau Tunnel (940 m)
scree protection gallery
38,565 Golling-Abtenau 4 crossover
38,673 Sulzau Lst (passing loop)
41,699
41,723
break in kilometrage (-24 m)
42,236 Tenneck  S3  519 m AA
( Konkordia Hut to 26 September 1971)
45,212 Werfen  S3  526 m AA
46,604 Pfarrwerfen  S3  528 m AA
Rupertus Tunnel (327 m)
51,735
52,000
break in kilometrage (-265 m)
Enns Valley Railway to Selzthal
52,305 Bischofshofen  S3  544 m AA
55,272 Mitterberghütten  S3  550 m AA
55,386 siding (passing loop)
56,882 Bischofshofen 2 crossover
61,266 St. Johann im Pongau  S3  565 m AA
Salzach
66,546 Schwarzach-St. Veit  S3  590 m AA
Tauernbahn to Spittal-Millstättersee
Schwarzach Tunnel (190 m)
Thumesbach Tunnel (380 m)
Blaue Wand Tunnel (370 m)
Salzach
74,978 Lend  S3  634 m AA
Salzach
Salzach
79,040 Eschenau  S3  673 m AA
81,9 Kitzlochklamm (closed)
Taxenbach Tunnel (277 m)
84,328 Taxenbach-Rauris  S3  718 m AA
86,371 siding (passing loop former Sägewerk)
88,875 Gries im Pinzgau  S3  744 m AA
Salzach
93,734 Bruck-Fusch  S3  757 m AA
former siding to Kaprun
Salzach
~96,6 Zell am See Süd (planned)  S3 
Pinzgauer Lokalbahn to Krimml (760mm)
99,414 Zell am See  S3  752 m AA
102,139 siding (passing loop for the firm of Hagleitner)
103,944 crossover Zell am See 2
104,000 Maishofen-Saalbach  S3  765 m AA
104,041 Lst Maishofen-Saalbach (passing loop)
106,750
106,823
break in kilometrage (-73 m)
108,004 Gerling im Pinzgau  S3  748 m AA
110,950
111,050
break in kilometrage (-100 m)
~112,000 former siding (600mm)
for the firm of STRABAG/ Saalfelden diabase works
112,335 Saalfelden  S3   S6  728 m AA
~113,000 siding (passing loop)
for the firm of STRABAG/ Saalfelden diabase works
118,150 Leogang Steinberge  S6  796 m AA
120,483 Leogang  S6  840 m AA
120,825 Saalfelden 2 crossover
123,076 Hütten closed 14.12.2008 885 m AA
126,312 Berg Grießen closed 28.05.1995 946 m AA
sidingen (passing loop)
130,141 Hochfilzen  S6  970 m AA
134,400 Pfaffenschwendt  S6  888 m AA
139,357 Fieberbrunn  S6  783 m AA
141,970
142,050
break in kilometrage (-80 m)
144,475 Grieswirt  S6  687 m AA
147,675 St. Johann in Tirol  S6  663 m AA
150,295 siding (passing loop) for the firm of Egger
151,959 Oberndorf in Tirol  S6  688 m AA
153,783 siding (passing loop) Hartsteinwerke Kitzbühel
153,783 siding (passing loop) Unterwerk Kitzbühel
157,077 Kitzbühel  S6  773 m AA
159,541 Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm  S6  773 m AA
161,442 Schwarzsee  S6  772 m AA
164,175 Klausen closed on 31.03.1951
166,385 Kirchberg in Tirol  S6  820 m AA
170,065 Brixen im Thale  S6  806 m AA
173,097 Westendorf  S6  762 m AA
173,591 Kitzbühel 2 branch-off (old Westendorf station)
176,447 Windau  S6  723 m AA
Au Tunnel (210 m)
Leidegg Tunnel (327 m)
182,280 Hopfgarten mountain lift  S6 
(to 28 May 1961: Hohe Salve mountain lift)
183,447 Hopfgarten  S6  589 m AA
former Itter Tunnel (45 m, dismantled in summer 2009)
188,504 Wörgl Süd - Bruckhäusl  S6  523 m AA
(to 14 December 2008: Bruckhäusl)
188,975 Hopfgarten 1 crossover
Lower Inn Valley Railway from Kufstein
192,405 Wörgl Hbf  S1   S2   S6  505 m AA
Lower Inn Valley Railway to Innsbruck Hbf
Note: Hbf = Hauptbahnhof i.e. main or central station.

The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway (German: Salzburg-Tiroler-Bahn) is a main line railway in Austria. It runs through the states of Salzburg and Tyrol from Salzburg to Wörgl and belongs to the core network (Kernnetz) of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

The line is has been upgraded to a double track throughout and both tracks may be worked in either direction (Gleiswechsebetrieb). The entire route is electrified and is powered by 15,000 Volt alternating current and a frequency of 16.7 Hz. In particular the section from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to Schwarzach-St. Veit was given a major upgrade, together with the Tauern Railway and the construction of the Salzburg S-Bahn, and, in places, entirely rebuilt and re-routed.

Contents

Names

It is (and was[1]) also known as the Gisela Railway (Giselabahn, after the second daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary: the Archduchess Gisela of Austria). Today it is frequently considered to be part of the Western Railway; the Vienna West–Linz–Salzburg–Zell am See–Wörgl section is also referred to as the Empress Elisabeth Railway (Kaiserin-Elisabeth-Bahn) and the Zell am See–Wörgl section is also called the Brixental Railway (Brixentalbahn).

History

The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway was built from 1873 to 1875 on the basis of the "Concession Authority dated 10th November 1872 for the Limited Company of the Privileged Empress Elisabeth Railway for the Construction and Operation of a Locomotive Railway Running from Upper Styria to Salzburg and North Tyrol"[2][3]. It runs from Salzburg via Hallein, Bischofshofen, St. Johann im Pongau, Schwarzach-St. Veit, Zell am See, Hochfilzen, St. Johann in Tirol and Kitzbühel to Wörgl.

The standard gauge line runs through the Salzach valley, the station at Bischofshofen being of particular importance because of its junction with the Enns Valley Railway. Near Wörgl, the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway meets the Munich–Innsbruck and Salzburg–Innsbruck line through the Deutsches Eck.

In 1905 the north ramp of the Tauern Railway between Schwarzach-St. Veit, which lay on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway, and Bad Gastein opened. In 1909 the Tauern Railway, including the Tauern Railway Tunnel, was completed as far as Villach.

In 1915 the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway was doubled and, in 1925, electrification of the line began; this was finished by 1930.

Towards the end of the Second World War the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway became a target for Allied bombers due to its strategic importance.

The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway is the only east-west railway link that runs entirely on Austrian soil. The fact that there is no east-west motorway purely on Austrian territory, gave the line great importance, especially with Austria's entry into the EU in 1995. However, its importance is increasingly on the wane, partly because it has the characteristics of an Alpine railway and hence high train speeds are not possible. Austrian east-west trains therefore usually use the route from Salzburg via Rosenheim to Innsbruck, transiting the Deutsches Eck.

The line is important, though, especially for regional services, as part of the connexion from Innsbruck to Klagenfurt and Graz as well as part of the line from Salzburg to Graz (over the Enns Valley Railway). In addition, the only Austrian bus service from North Tyrol and East Tyrol leaves from Kitzbühel on the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway. The line is also fairly important as an alternative route for international rail traffic on the east-west axis, but it is more significant as a feeder for the Tauern Railway crossing the Alps from north to south. The Salzburg-Tyrol Railway is also used by night trains. The night train from Bregenz to Vienna used to run on this line until December 2008, in order to achieve journey times that enabled passengers to spend enough time in the sleepers and to save the rail tolls charged by Deutsche Bahn for using the Großes Deutsches Eck. The railway is also important for local services in the central region of Salzburg state. Between Salzburg Hauptbahnhof and Golling-Abtenau the line is worked every half-an-hour and from Golling to Schwarzach every hour by line S3 on the Salzburg S-Bahn.

Gallery

References

  1. ^ Volkswirthschaftliche Zeitung. (Giselabahn.) Das Vaterland, 15. November 1872[1]
  2. ^ R. G. Bl. No. 170/1872
  3. ^ Volkswirthschaftliche Zeitung. (Giselabahn.) Das Vaterland, 31 December 1872[2]

Literature