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Arlberg Railway

An ÖBB train on the Arlberg Railway in 2007 near Pians village west of Landeck

Overview
Native nameArlbergbahn
StatusOperational
OwnerAustrian Federal Railways
Line number101 05
LocaleTyrol
Vorarlberg
Termini
Stations31
Service
TypeHeavy rail, Passenger/Freight rail
Intercity rail, Regional rail, Commuter rail
Route number400
Operator(s)Austrian Federal Railways
History
OpenedStages between 1883 and 1884
Technical
Line length136.7 km (84.9 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track
(Innsbruck–Ötztal,
Abzw Schönwies 1–Landeck-Zams,
Abzw Flirsch 1–Abzw Langen 1)
Single track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Minimum radiusEast ramp: 300 m
West ramp: 242 m
Electrification15 kV/16,7 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed160 km/h (99 mph)
Maximum inclineEast ramp: 2.6 %
West ramp: 3.4 %

Route map

km

-0.434

Innsbruck Hbf

582 m (1,909 ft)

Brenner Railway to Bolzano/Bozen (“Konzert curve”)

1.325

Innsbruck West

583 m (1,913 ft)

6.910

Völs

584 m (1,916 ft)

10.442

Kematen i. T.

593 m (1,946 ft)

Unterperfuss

14.247

Zirl

596 m (1,955 ft)

16.911

Inzing

601 m (1,972 ft)

19.163

Hatting

605 m (1,985 ft)

20.370

Üst (crossover) Zirl 2

21.412

Flaurling

609 m (1,998 ft)

25,000
25,085

Change of chainage (-85 m), start of relocated line

25,545

Oberhofen im Inntal

620 m (2,030 ft)

End of relocated line

26.800

Telfs-Pfaffenhofen

623 m (2,044 ft)

31.056

Rietz

635 m (2,083 ft)

34.647

Stams

639 m (2,096 ft)

36.223

Mötz

644 m (2,113 ft)

38.223

Silz

648 m (2,126 ft)

42.458

Haiming

669 m (2,195 ft)

45.420

Ötztal

692 m (2,270 ft)

46.152
46.320

Change of chainage (-168 m)

47.2

Ötztaler bridge

B171-AT.svg B 171 Tiroler Straße

50.056

Roppen

706 m (2,316 ft)

54.698

Imst-Pitztal

716 m (2,349 ft)

L16-AT.svg L 16 Pitztaler Straße

59.070

Imsterberg

724 m (2,375 ft)

63.015

Schönwies

736 m (2,415 ft)

65.570

Works siding

65.780
65.891

Change of chainage (-111 m)

65.911

Abzw Schönwies 1

Start of relocated line

66.550

Kronburg tunnel (330 m)

68.3

B180-AT.svg B 180 Reschenstraße

68.580

Zammer tunnel (2335 m) eastern portal

70.980

Zams

768 m (2,520 ft)

Zammer tunnel western portal

End of relocated line

71.837

Landeck-Zams

776 m (2,546 ft)

72.150

Connection to Firma Donauchemie AG

72.406
72.650

Change of chainage (-244 m)

73.404

Inn (L 188 m / H 25 m)

73.800

Landeck Perfuchs

816 m (2,677 ft)

76.447

Zappelbach bridge (L 34 m / H 11,2 m)

77.981

Pians

911 m (2,989 ft)

78.277

Ganderbach bridge (L 22 m / H 14,8 m)

78.918

Mayenthal bridge (L 53 m / H 15,0 m)

79.495

Burgfried bridge (L 72 m / H 10,0 m)

79.680

Wolfsgruberbach bridge (L 50 m / H 14,3 m)

79.949

Wiesberg

953 m (3,127 ft)

80.253

Trisanna Bridge (L 207 m / H 87,4 m)

80.486

Weinzierl tunnel (212 m)

80.7

Start of relocated line

80.810

Moltertobel tunnel (1643 m)

82.308
82.200

Change of chainage (+108 m)

82.5

End of relocated line

82.496

Geigertobel bridge (L 81 m / H 11,5 m)

83.073

Strengen

1,027 m (3,369 ft)

85.114

Süßwald bridge (L 59 m / H 11,0 m)

85.308

Klausbach aqueduct (20 m)

87.274

Flirsch

1,122 m (3,681 ft)

87.564
88.055
Rosanna bridge I (L 28 m / H 7,9 m)
Rosanna bridge II (L 56 m / H 8,1 m)

S16-AT.svg S 16 Arlbergschnellstraße

88.483

90.150

Flirsch 1 junction

Start of relocated line

90.176

Schnann

(old)

90.420

Schnann

1,162 m (3,812 ft)

91.028

Innere Maienbach gallery (354 m)

91.363

Siding

ÖBB-substation

91.528

Rosanna bridge III

92.330

Apres tunnel (189 m)

93.334

Pettneu

1,193 m (3,914 ft)

93.476

Pettneu

(old)

1,196 m (3,924 ft)

End of relocated line

93.767

Üst Flirsch 2

94.275

Vadisen gallery (579 m)

Start of new line

Rosanna bridge IV

96.271

St. Jakob

1,228 m (4,029 ft)

97.357

Wolfsgruben tunnel (1743 m), eastern portal

97.698
97.923
Rosanna bridge IV
Rosanna bridge V

99.100

Wolfsgruben tunnel, western portal

99.360

St. Anton am Arlberg

1,309 m (4,295 ft)

99.590

St. Anton am Arlberg

(old)

1,303 m (4,275 ft)

99.500

Arlberg tunnel (10.648 m), new eastern portal

100.127

Arlberg tunnel (formerly 10.250 m), old eastern portal

100.600
100.828

Change of chainage (-228 m)

End of new line

104.241

Apex of the Arlberg railway

1,311 m (4,301 ft)

107.622

Üst St. Anton 3

110.377

Arlberg tunnel, western portal

110.480

Alfenz bridge (L 52 m / H 17,2 m)

110.715

Langen am Arlberg

1,217 m (3,993 ft)

Start of relocated line

111.054

Blisadona tunnel (2411 m) eastern portal

111.120

Simastobel tunnel (140 m)

111.670

Großtobel tunnel (505 m)

112.464

Bridge (L 62 m / H 8,4 m)

112.663

Kleines Lawinendach (34 m)

112.744

Bridge (L 32 m /H 6,7 m)

112.934

Abzw Langen 1

112.973

Wälditobel bridge (L 59 m / H 35 m)

113.031

Klösterle

1,157 m (3,796 ft)

113.1

Connection to proposed tunnel extension

113.465

Blisadona tunnel, western portal

113.547
113.463

Change of chainage (+84 m), end of relocated line

113.604

Great avalanche shelter (510 m)

114.113

In der Hose avalanche shelter (53 m)

114.166

Avalanche shelter III (163 m)

114.2

Start of relocated line

114.374

Wildentobel tunnel (1158 m)

114.583

Wildentobel aqueduct (15 m)

115.452

Spreubach bridge

115.6

End of relocated line

116.074

Wald am Arlberg

(formerly Dannöfen, closed in 1999)

1,074 m (3,524 ft)

116.630

Glongtobel bridge

117.995

Stelzitobel bridge (L 28 m / H 6,0 m)

118.342

Radonatobel bridge (L 80 m / H 21,0 m)

119.192

Bridge (L 23 m / H 6,1 m)

119.279

Mühltobel avalanche shelter (91 m)

119.531

Avalanche shelter IV (144 m)

119.692

Gipsbruchtobel avalanche shelter (35 m)

119.944

Avalanche shelter V (22 m)

121.253

Dalaas

(closed in 1999)

932 m (3,058 ft)

121.563

Höllentobel bridge (L 96 m / H 24,2 m)

121.920

Röcken tunnel (68 m)

122.420

Schmiedtobel tunnel (94 m)

122.654

Schmiedtobel bridge (L 120 m / H 55,8 m)

122.954

Engelwand tunnel (280 m)

123.349

Engelwand avalanche shelter (31 m)

123.432

Brunntobel bridge (L 74 m / H 24,6 m)

123.722

Engelwäldchen tunnel (209 m)

124.856

Fünffingertobel gallery (32 m)

124.888

Fünffingertobel tunnel (78 m)

125.177

Hintergasse

(closed in 1999)

824 m (2,703 ft)

125.666

Schanatobel bridge (L 70 m / H 18,8 m)

125.749

Böcktöbele avalanche shelter (36 m)

126.425

Pfaffentobel tunnel (97 m)

126.684

Plattentobel tunnel (162 m)

126.881

Rüfe viaduct (L 65 m / H 7,3 m)

127.970

Avalanche shelter VI (139 m)

127.109

Mason tunnel (147 m)

127.310

Arch (31,8 m)

127.528

Masonbach bridge

128.168

Mühltobel aqueduct (20 m)

129.543

Braz

(closed in 1999)

705 m (2,313 ft)

132.685

Bings

614 m (2,014 ft)

136.286

Bludenz S1 S4

559 m (1,834 ft)

The Arlberg Railway (German: Arlbergbahn), which connects the Austrian cities Innsbruck and Bludenz, is Austria's only east-west mountain railway. It is one of the highest standard gauge railways in Europe and the second highest in Austria, after the Brenner. The 136.7 km line is a highly problematic mountain railway, in part because it is threatened by avalanches, mudslides, rockfalls and floods.[1] It is operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and frequented by international trains, including the Orient Express.[2]

History and construction

[edit]

Arlberg railway tunnel construction (Western mouth)

As early as 1842 a railway over the Arlberg Pass was under discussion, as the British sought a rail connection for traffic from England to Egypt.[3] Two years later, in 1847, Carl Ganahl - a textile industrialist from Feldkirch - decided to privately support construction of the railway, despite the many technical challenges involved. On the other hand, the opening of the Semmering Railway in 1854 showed that mountain railways were basically possible and feasible. Trade Minister Anton Freiherr von Banhans presented on March 22, 1872, at the Chamber of Deputies a draft law on the execution of the Arlberg railway at government expense for a total amount of 42 million florins. In 1879 the protagonists of the Arlbergbahn with the intended 10,216 m long summit tunnel were successful. The submitted project had won confidence by the progress in the Gotthard Tunnel.[4] Julius Lott was appointed planning director of the Arlbergbahn.[5]

The construction of the Arlberg Railway started on June 20, 1880, and proceeded at a faster pace than planned. Completion was originally not expected until the autumn of 1885, but already by May 29, 1883, the valley route from Innsbruck to Landeck in Tyrol was put into service.[6][page needed] On September 21, 1884, the entire stretch of the mountain railway was completed, including the then single-track, 10.22 kilometres (6.35 miles) long Arlbergtunnel.[7] The construction claimed 92 lives. The costs were totaled 38,165,282 crowns. The Arlberg tunnel rises from St. Anton on a length of approximately 4 km with 2 ‰. The highest point is at 1310.926 m in kilometer 104.241 m. Then it falls to Langen am Arlberg at 15 ‰.[8]

The transalpine Arlberg Railway opened up a completely new connection between Lake Constance and the Adriatic Sea. Traffic increased so rapidly that already by July 15, 1885, a second track through the tunnel was opened, as had been planned since the beginning of the project. The most renowned train on the Arlberg route was the Orient Express, from London to Bucharest, which had only first-class compartments and parlors.

Right from the beginning, the use of steam locomotives on the Arlberg led to serious problems: Passengers and crews were exposed to the unhealthy effects of sulfurous acid, which condensed from the steam in the tunnel.[9] Grade slopes of up to 3.4% on the western ramp (Kloster Valley) and 2.6% on the eastern ramp caused traction troubles for the locomotives. Finally, in 1924, this problem was eliminated with the completion of electrification of the tunnel, followed by the ramp sections in 1925. This electrification of the railway was carried out with a 15 kV, 16.7 Hertz system, allowing heavy trains to be pulled over the route once the tracks and supporting structures, including the Trisanna bridge in 1964, had been upgraded for the increased axle weights.

Today, traffic through the Arlberg railway tunnel has increased considerably, despite competition from road transport through the Arlberg Road Tunnel. This has made it necessary to widen the approach ramps for double tracks. Many long-distance, high-speed EuroCity (Transalpin) and Railjet trains ply the route from Vienna to Vorarlberg over the Arlberg. On the occasion of the World Ski Championships in 2001, the railway station of St. Anton on the eastern side of the Arlberg Tunnel was relocated from the town centre to a new site on the north side of the valley. This required the Arlberg tunnel be lengthened to 10650 m and the construction of the new Wolfsgruben tunnel.[10]

Beginning with 2020, the stretch of track between Landeck-Zams and Ötztal will be selectively double-tracked, to increase capacity and improve the frequency of local services. The program, which was announced in 2018, will likely be completed by 2025, and was chosen over the more expensive full double-tracking plans. The first works are scheduled to take place between 19 and 21 September 2020, during which services will be disrupted.[11]

  • St. Anton railway station since 2001; view ist directed eastwards to the Stanzer Valley

    St. Anton railway station since 2001; view ist directed eastwards to the Stanzer Valley

  • Trisanna bridge (87 m high) and Castle Wiesberg

    Trisanna bridge (87 m high) and Castle Wiesberg

  • Zammer tunnel near Landeck (eastern mouth)

    Zammer tunnel near Landeck (eastern mouth)

  • Old Inn bridge in Landeck

    Old Inn bridge in Landeck

  • Station Langen am Arlberg with western mouth of the Arlbergtunnel 1894

    Station Langen am Arlberg with western mouth of the Arlbergtunnel 1894

From the universal locomotive, kkStB Class 73 with an operating weight of 55.1 tons, 436 pieces were ordered.[12] Thanks to its capacity of 700 PS they could transport on the level 1,650 tons at 30 km/h, on a slope of 10 ‰ a weight of 580 t at 15 km/h and on a slope of 25 ‰ 220 t, also at 15 km/h. They were mainly used for freight traffic.[13]

  1. ^ Bern, Peter Hug. "Arlberg | eLexikon | Geographie - Oesterreich-Ungarn - Gebirge etc". Peter-hug.ch (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  2. ^ "Die Arlbergbahn". Alpenbahnen.net (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Der Bau der Arlbergbahn 1/2 – Die Arlbergbahn". Arlbergbahn.at (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Arlberg railway at Zeno.org. Article by: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens (Encyclopaedia of the Railway), 2nd edition, 1912–1923, Vol. 1, p. 265–272
  5. ^ "die Arlberg-Bahn". Themenwegschnann.at (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Schuchter, Bernd (2017). Gebrauchsanweisung für Tirol. ISBN 978-3-492-97754-8.
  7. ^ "125 Jahre Arlbergbahn". Bahnerlebnis-club.de (in German). Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  8. ^ "Arlbergtunnel (search results)". Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Rebenklauber, Arno (1984). "Geschichtliche Bildreihe, 100 Jahre Arlbergbahn (1884 – 1984) (3500121)" (PDF). Vobs.at. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  10. ^ "Sankt Anton am Arlberg". Bahnbilderunterwegs.jimdo.com (in German). Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  11. ^ "Auch Ausbau auf Teilstrecken bringt viel" [Expansion on partial routes also brings a lot]. Tirol.orf.at (in German). October 24, 2018.
  12. ^ "06 - Modellbahn-Forum :: Micro Metakit KKStB 73 - kkArlbergbahn BF IV". Drehscheibe-online.de. Retrieved October 28, 2017.[user-generated source]
  13. ^ Kirchner, Michael. "ÖBB 55 (kkStB 73 / BBÖ 73 / DRB 55.57–58 /...)". Bahnspezl.de. Retrieved October 28, 2017.

47°15′48″N 11°24′04″E / 47.2633°N 11.4010°E