Rudolf Railway

The Rudolf Railway (German: Rudolfsbahn) refers to a railway in Austria connecting Amstetten and the Italian border near Tarvisio, along with a branch from Kastenreith to St. Valentine. Its name is derived from the k.k. priv. Kronprinz Rudolf-Bahn Gesellschaft (Imperial–royal, "privileged"—by the grant of a concession—Crown Prince Rudolf Railway Company, KRB). The main line, which was opened from 1868 to 1873, ran on the St. Valentin–Kastenreith–KleinreiflingSelzthalSchoberpassSt. MichaelNeumarkt saddle–St. Veit an der GlanFeldkirchen in KärntenVillachTarvisio Centrale route. The section of the line within the current borders of Italy now runs over the new Tarvisio–Udine railway (opened in November 2000) through Tarvisio Boscoverde. It replaced a very windy route to Udine that originally formed part of the Rudolf Railway.

Rudolf Railway
Freight train with containers of timber near Trattenbach
Overview
Line number
  • 101 02 (Amstetten–Abzw Amstetten 11)
  • 102 01 (Abzw Amstetten 11–Kastenreith)
  • 203 01 (St. Valentin–Abzw Weyer 1)
  • 404 01 (Selzthal–St. Michael)
  • 413 13 (St. Michael–St. Michael-West)
  • 413 01 (St. Michael-West–St. Veit an der Glan)
  • 408 01 (St. Veit an der Glan–Villach Hbf-Ostbf)
  • 413 01 (Villach Süd Gvbf-Auen–Tarvisio Boscov.)
  • 413 12 (St. Michael–St. Michael-Ost)
  • 413 01 (St. Michael-Ost–Abzw Leoben Hbf 2)
  • 416 01 (Leoben Hbf 2 junction–Leoben Hbf)
  • 413 14 (Villach Hbf-Ostbf–Villach Süd Gvbf-Auen)
Service
Route number
  • 130 (Amstetten–Selzthal)
  • 131 (St. Valentin–Selzthal)
  • 250 (Selzthal–St. Michael)
  • 600 (St. Michael/Leoben–St. Veit an der Glan)
  • 000 and (Villach–Tarvisio Boscoverde)
  • 601 (Friesach–Villach)
Technical
Line length
  • (St. Valentin–Tarvisio) 407 km (253 mi)
  • (Amstetten−Kastenreith) 43.8 km (27.2 mi)
  • (St. Michael−Leoben) 11.9 km (7.4 mi)
Number of tracks
  • 2: Selzthal Süd – St. Veit an der Glan
  • 2: Villach – Tarvisio Boscoverde
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius187 m (614 ft)
Electrification15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph) (max)
Maximum incline2.28%
Route map

km
124.558
Amstetten
273 m
127.287
2.730
Amstetten 11 junction
3.600
Greinsfurth
5.255
Bundesforste siding
7.735
Ulmerfeld-Hausmening
301 m
11.880
Ybbstaler Fruit Austria siding
12.020
Kröllendorf
12.166
warehouse siding
15.316
Hilm-Kematen
329 m
17.317
Rosenau
340 m
19.598
Böhlerwerk siding
19.733
Sonntagberg
21.396
Böhlerwerk a.d. Ybbs
23.422
Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs
360 m
24.847
Stadt Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs
32.220
Oberland
505 m
32.637
Oberland Haltestelle
34.450
Gaflenz
478 m
40.847
Weyer
404 m
Danube Bank Railway from Mauthausen
0.000
St. Valentin
268 m
1.915
2.710
Herzograd
7.336
Ernsthofen
12.700
Dorf a.d. Enns
15.743
Ramingdorf-Haidershofen
17.200
Steyr BMW-Werk
18.097
Steyr-Münichholz
20.424
Steyr
305 m
22.369
Garsten tunnel (28.60 m)
22.591
Garsten
304 m
25.100
Sand
27.831
Lahrndorf
30.417
Dürnbach
33.710
Ternberg
35.978
Trattenbach
42.145
Losenstein
45.725
Rohrbachgraben
(closed 2.6.1996)
48.140
Reichraming
359 m
51.145
Großraming Kraftwerk
54.859
Großraming
370 m
61.410
Küpfern
63.417
Kastenreith covered tunnel (8 m)
63.425
Kastenreith tunnel (324.25 m)
43.693
63.793
Kastenreith
43.804
63.904
Weyer 1 siding
66.950
Kleinreifling
388 m
73.417
Schönau-Fockenau tunnel (224 m)
75.552
Schönau an der Enns
(closed Dec. 2011)
79.443
Laussa-Kesselberg tunnel (176.20 m)
79.823
Altenmarkt tunnel (35.10 m)
81.496
Weißenbach-St. Gallen
410 m
84.882
Wolfsbachau tunnel (92.70 m)
86.200
Wolfsbachau
(closed 2.6.1996)
86.851
Lof tunnel (395 m)
90.534
Großreifling tunnel (348.80 m)
92.212
Großreifling
446 m
93.162
Salza tunnel (296.39 m)
94.263
Landl avalanche shelter (12 m)
94.275
Landl tunnel (57 m)
Enns
96.422
Landl
459 m
98.492
sawmill siding
99.028
Wandau tunnel (103.75 m)
99.132
Wandau avalanche shelter (54 m)
101.266
Hieflau tunnel (171.10 m)
101.836
Hieflau (siding)
Erzberg Railway to Eisenerz
102.333
Hieflau
489 m
102.699
Hieflau avalanche tunnel (300 m)
104.422
Enns wall gallery I (29 m)
104.532
Enns wall gallery II (25 m)
104.575
Enns wall covered tunnel (22 m)
104.597
Enns wall tunnel I (53 m)
104.747
Enns wall tunnel II (101 m)
106.864
Hochsteg tunnel (121 m)
106.985
Hochsteg gallery (22 m)
Kummer bridge (Enns)
106.520
Kummerbrücke
(closed 2005)
568 m
111.404
Gstatterboden i. Nationalpark
573 m
113.264
Rothgraben gallery (12 m)
113.477
Kühgraben gallery (15 m)
114.706
Johnsbach i. Nationalpark
588 m
118.166
Gesäuse Eingang tunnel (237.62 m)
119.435
Gesäuse Eingang
(closed 2013)
628 m
125.168
Admont
130.803
Frauenberg a.d. Enns
634 m
Pyhrn Railway from Linz
137.269
Selzthal-Nord
138.996
Selzthal
639 m
140.460
Selzthal-Süd junction; start of double track
140.640
planned link from Selzthal West
145.214
Stadt Rottenmann
667 m
146.750
Rottenmann
688 m
151.200
Bärndorf-Büschendorf
(closed)
156.497
Trieben
704 m
161.138
Gaishorn
722 m
Sonnberg tunnel (544 m)
165.170
Treglwang
(siding)
774 m
167.164
Wald am Schoberpass 2 crossover
171.645
Wald am Schoberpaß
849 m
173.925
Unterwald tunnel (1.075 m)
178.740
Kalwang
751 m
186.675
Mautern
692 m
191.992
Kammern
662 m
194.403
Seiz
639 m
197.821
Traboch-Timmersdorf
622 m
202.412
0.000
St. Michael
596 m
start of St. Michael–Leoben branch line
203.824
St. Michael-West
1.192
St. Michael-Ost
Annaberg tunnel (158 m)
2.275
23.377
Leoben Hbf 2 junction
6.838
Leoben Hinterberg
(no passengers since
14 December 2008)
9.503
9.981
Leoben Göss
(no passengers since
14 December 2008)
Galgenberg tunnel (5,460 m)
20.441
Leoben Hbf 1 crossover
(only during disruptions / work)
10.727
17.639
Erzberg Railway from Vordernberg
16.498
Leoben Hbf
540 m
207.031
Kaisersberg-St. Stefan
(closed 24.9.1967)
209.918
Kraubath
585 m
Hartsteinwerke Preg siding
213.724
Preg
595 m
218.336
Fentsch-St. Lorenzen
604 m
224.684
Knittelfeld
628 m
228.557
Spielberg
660 m
229.683
Lind bei Zeltweg
(closed 30.5.1999)
232.351
Zeltweg
670 m
Fohnsdorf Railway to Pöls
Lavant Valley Railway to Klagenfurt
239.760
Judenburg
708 m
246.225
Thalheim-Pöls
699 m
253.765
St. Georgen ob Judenburg
714 m
258.695
Unzmarkt
735 m
Mur
265.691
Scheifling
797 m
268.719
Schrattenberg
(closed 31.3.1923)
273.774
Mariahof-St. Lambrecht
892 m
278.780
Neumarkt in Steiermark
841 m
281.900
Hammerl
(closed 24.9.1967)
Klammwand tunnel (138 m)
286.554
Neumarkt in Steiermark 1 crossover
Wildbad Einöd
(closed 23.5.1993)
292.700
Metnitztal
(closed 28.5.1967)
295.256
Friesach
636 m
299.955
Micheldorf-Hirt
Hirt loading point
Gurk Valley Railway
(to Pöckstein-Zwischenwässern)
306.062
Treibach–Althofen
615 m
309.644
Kappel am Krappfeld
569 m
312.500
Krappfeld
(closed 24.9.1967)
313.825
Passering
317.500
Pölling
(closed 30.5.1999)
Görtschitz Valley Railway from Hüttenberg
319.493
Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz
522 m
old route until 30.9.1902
322.188
St. Georgen am Längsee
327.942
St. Veit a.d. Glan
476 m
Rosen Valley Railway to Jesenice
329.011
St. Veit a.d. Glan-West
329.706
329.046
chainage adjustment (+660 m)
332.700
Lebmach
(closed 2000)
334.525
Liebenfels halt
335.273
Liebenfels
(freight only since 2004)
339.020
Tauchendorf-Haidensee
341.446
Glanegg
497 m
343.872
Mautbrücken
503 m
347.167
St. Martin-Sittich
524 m
352.226
Feldkirchen in Kärnten
547 m
356.394
Tiffen
520 m
360.155
Steindorf am Ossiacher See
509 m
363.863
Ossiach-Bodensdorf
510 m
365.341
St. Urban am Ossiacher See
368.990
Sattendorf
370.267
Annenheim
507 m
373.620
Villach St. Ruprecht
Villach Landskron
(since 15.12.2019)
track 20 (Villach Hbf bypass)
376.800
Villach Hbf-Ostbf
(freight yard)
377.620
Villach Hbf,platform 8
on track 20 (if required)
Villach Hbf
498 m
378.320
Villach Hbf-Draubrücke
379.139
Villach West
381.682
Villach Warmbad
382.733
Villach Süd Gvbf-Auen
Villach–Rosenbach railway to Rosenbach
384.190
Müllern
(closed 03.06.1984)
384.400
Villach South large shunting yard
386.486
Fürnitz
389.305
Neuhaus an der Gail
512 m
389.670
Villach Süd Gvbf-West
392.056
Pöckau
564 m
394.943
Arnoldstein
567 m
395.458
Gail Valley Railway to Kötschach-Mauthen
400.182
Thörl-Maglern
401.045
94.250
Austria
Italy
border
old route (closed 2000)
93.167
Leila tunnel (3.269 m)
89.900
Coccau di sotto tunnel (140 m)
Coccau di sopra tunnel (517 m)
from Ljubljana (dismantled)
88.790
Tarvisio Boscoverde
(voltage change)
732 m
(93.586)
Tarvisio Centrale
730 m
old Tarvisio–Udine railway to Udine
km
Source: Austrian railway atlas[1]

History

Kleinreifling station in autumn 2007, taken from south to north
Winter in the former Gesäuse Eingang station (December 2004)
The former Kummerbrücke station (May 1988)

The Rudolf Railway formed the third north–south Alpine crossing in Austria along with the Southern Railway (Semmering railway) to the east and the Brenner Railway to the west. It was built by the Mährischen Eisenbauunternehmen (Moravian iron construction company) of the Klein brothers. The chief engineer was Otto Thienemann. Since there was too little traffic on its own line, the KRB was economically dependent to a large extent on through traffic and thus on the transport policy of other railways (mainly the Empress Elisabeth RailwayKaiserin Elisabeth-Bahn; KEB). Both of the northern endpoints of the KRB network were on lines of the Empress Elisabeth Railway (St. Valentin and Amstetten on the Western Railway and Schärding on the Wels–Passau railway).

The financial situation of the KRB deteriorated after the economic crisis of 1873. The KRB was forced into administration in 1880 and it was nationalised in 1884.

After its nationalisation, the Amstetten–Kastenreith branch was upgraded because the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways directed traffic between Vienna and Carinthia via the Western Railway and the Rudolf Railway (in competition with the still private Southern Railway). In the decades after the Second World War, direct trains from Vienna West still operated over this route.

The KRB connected to the Italian rail network south of Pontebba in the Canale valley.

Current situation

All lines of the former Rudolf Railway in modern Austria belong to the Austrian Federal Railways.

Today the name Rudolf Railway is only used for the northern section, although the street name Rudolfsbahnstraße (Rudolf Railway Street) that occurs in some places along the line still refer to it. This is because the St. Valentin/Amstetten–Villach–Tarvisio route as such is no longer significant. The term Rudolfsbahn is used particularly for the Amstetten–Waidhofen–Kleinreifling–Selzthal route through the Ybbs and Enns valley (timetable route 130[2]).

Individual sections of the original Rudolfsbahn now form parts of other lines. The Schober Pass line between Selzthal and St. Michael also forms part of the long-distance line between Linz and Graz via Selzthal (including the Pyhrn Railway) and the Innsbruck–Bischofshofen–Selzthal–Graz line (including the Enns Valley Railway). The Leoben–Klagenfurt line via St. Michael, the Neumarkt saddle and St. Veit an der is now often considered to form part of the Southern Railway (although this is not historically correct): Vienna–Bruck an der Mur–Leoben–Klagenfurt–Villach. All Railjet and EuroCity services on the ViennaKlagenfurt Hbf Villach Hbf route as well as some freight trains, which mainly go to Italy or Slovenia, use this section of the line (until the Koralm Railway opens).

Freight train hauled by class 1040 locomotive in Hieflau. The line to Eisenerz branches off to the right (2001)

Between the stations of Friesach or St. Veit an der Glan and Villach (via Klagenfurt Hbf), the line was integrated into the S-Bahn Kärnten (Carinthian S-Bahn) as line S1 at the timetable change in December 2010. Line S2 of the Carinthian S-Bahn has been running between St. Veit an der Glan and Villach (via Feldkirchen in Kärnten) since December 2011. As part of the new S-Bahn operation, the frequency and the number of local trains have increased significantly, although in some cases this had already happened with the introduction of the Kärnten-Takt (Carinthian cycle) in December 2008. The St. Michael–Unzmarkt section has been part of the S8 of the S-Bahn Steiermark since December 2016.

Partial closure of passenger services

Regional train hauled by a class 1141 on the Schober pass route near Selzthal (1994)

Passenger traffic on the section between Selzthal and Weißenbach-St. Gallen was discontinued on 6 September 2009, with the exception of a pair of trains on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, as the ÖBB considered the route no longer economical for passenger traffic. It was replaced by a service with normal buses.[3] A second pair of trains towards Selzthal in the afternoon and towards Weißenbach-St. Gallen in the morning was reintroduced at the start of the 2019/2020 timetable. In addition, both pairs of trains connect to/from Vienna West.

Amstetten–Kastenreith branch line

The Amstetten–Kleinreifling route is served every hour. In the mornings and evenings, some trains from Amstetten only run to Waidhofen a.d. Ybbs; on weekdays except Saturdays, some trains continue from Kleinreifling to Weißenbach-St.Gallen.[4]

Until December 2017, trains from Eisenwurzen reached Amstetten mostly at 55 minutes after the hour and departed at 5 minutes after the hour. On the hour, there was a crossing of the Vienna–Salzburg Railjet services, which provided connections to Linz and Vienna. Since the private operator WESTbahn has been assigned the Railjet routes by ÖBB-Infrastruktur since December 2017, the meeting of ÖBB services on the hour in Amstetten has been abandoned. As the result of a new timetable concept geared towards Linz commuters and the replacement of most of the Bombardier Talent (class 4024) services with Siemens Desiro (class 4744) services, which have more rapid acceleration, connections are guaranteed at Amstetten to Linz in the morning and from Linz in the afternoon.[5]

A regional train runs between Amstetten and Selzthal on weekends. It is the only passenger train that still serves the Gesäuse section.

References

Footnotes

  1. Railway Atlas 2010, pp. 19, 20, 30, 31, 44, 45, 64, 65, 80, 89–91, 97.
  2. "Timetable route 130: Amstetten – Kleinreifling – Selzthal Rudolfsbahn" (PDF) (in German). ÖBB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. "Einstellung der Gesäusebahn: Der Anfang vom Ende" (PDF). Fahrgast Steiermark (in German). 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  4. "Timetable route 130: Amstetten - Kleinreifling - Selzthal" (PDF) (in German). ÖBB. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. Kössl, Andreas (17 October 2017). "Ybbstal - Fahrplanwechsel stellt Anschluss für Pendler sicher". Niederösterreichische Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 20 October 2018.

Sources

  • Oberegger, Elmar (2007). Zur Geschichte der Kronprinz Rudolf-Bahn. Schärding/St.Valentin/Amstetten–Villach–Ljubljana (in German). Veröffentlichungen des Info-Büros für österreichische Eisenbahngeschichte 2/Sattledt.
  • Tezak, Sepp (1991). Die Rudolfsbahn I. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Tezak, Sepp (1992). Die Rudolfsbahn II. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  • Gansrigler, Franz; Posch, Christoph (2008). Löffler, Detlef (ed.). Wien – Triest. Der Drang in den Süden: Von den Anfängen der Kronprinz-Rudolf-Bahn bis zum heutigen Ausbau der Südbahn und der Pontebbana (in German). Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt: Styria-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-222-13257-5.
  • Eisenbahnatlas Österreich [Railway atlas of Austria]. Schweers + Wall. 2010. ISBN 978-3-89494-138-3.
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