Austria
View of Wien Hauptbahnhof
Operation
National railwayÖsterreichische Bundesbahnen
System length
Total6,123 kilometres (3,805 mi)
Electrified3,523 kilometres (2,189 mi)
Freight only?
High-speed233 km
Track gauge
Main1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification
15 kV 16,7 HzMain network
Map
Map of the main network in Austria as of 2020.
An ICE T on the Trisanna Bridge, Wiesberg[1]
Some tramways in Gmunden
The Hartkaiserbahn funicular near Ellmau

Rail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge and 3,523 km are electrified.

Austria is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Austria is 81.

History

The Rakete (Rocket) of the Kaiser-Ferdinands-Nordbahn

The history of Austrian rail transport starts with the Reisszug, a private, horse-drawn funicular serving Hohensalzburg Fortress. 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.[2][3]

In the 19th century, after building of several horse tramways, the Nordbahn line Vienna–Břeclav opened in 1837. The Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways (Kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen, kkStB), a company serving the Austrian side of Austria-Hungary, was created in 1884[4] and in 1923, some years after the dissolution of the empire, the national company BBÖ (Bundesbahnen Österreich) was founded.

Following the Anschluss of Austria to National-socialist Germany in 1938, the BBÖ were taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. After the end of World War II, the Austrian federal railways were re-installed in 1945, soon under the name of Österreichische Bundesbahn (ÖBB).

In 1998 the market was liberalised and had one of the highest degrees of market openness in the EU according to the 2011 Rail Liberalisation Index, although the market share of ÖBB remains above 90% for passenger rail.[5]

Network

The Austrian network, aside from the principal rail system, also enfolds some funiculars, rack railways and lot of heritage railways mainly derived from part of disused lines. Some secondary lines are set up in narrow gauge.

Operators

Urban railways

Narrow gauge railways

In Austria, many narrow gauge railways were constructed due to the difficult mountainous terrain. Many survive as a common carrier or a heritage railway.

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ A village part of Strengen
  2. ↑ The "Reisszug" on Funimag
  3. ↑ The "Reisszug" on Funiculars.net
  4. ↑ History of Austrian Railway until 1918 (on the ÖBB website) Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ OECD Economic Surveys: Austria 2013 page 135. OECD. 2 July 2013. ISBN 9789264183070.
  6. ↑ Not to be confused with the historic and private Reisszug
  7. ↑ an underground air cushion funicular
  8. ↑ Article on Funimag
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