The Arlbergbahn is an important one Alps-East-West connection that innsbruck about the Arlberg area with the westernmost state Vorarlberg and with the Switzerland connects.
background
Prehistory and construction
A railway over the Arlberg Pass was already being discussed in 1845 when the English were looking for a rail link for traffic from England to Egypt were looking for. Two years later found in that Feldkircher Textile industrialists Carl Ganahl also a local supporter of the construction. But back then there were still too many (technical) reservations. The opening of the Semmering Railway However, 1854 showed that a mountain railway over the Arlberg was by no means impossible.
Construction could not begin until 1880, but it progressed much faster than planned (completion was not expected before autumn 1885): On May 29, 1883, the valley section of innsbruck to Landeck put into operation. On September 21, 1884, the entire route finally followed, including the initially single-lane, 10,249.9 meter long Arlberg tunnel. In contrast to other Alpine tunnel projects of the time, there were few problems on the Arlberg. Nevertheless, the tunnel construction alone claimed 92 lives.
Development of the company
With the opening, a completely new connection was actually established between the Lake Constance and the Adriatic. The traffic developed so positively that on July 15, 1885, the second track through the Arlberg tunnel, which was planned to be two-track from the start, was opened. The flagship train on the Arlberg route was the Arlberg-Orient-Express, which exclusively featured sleeping cars, dining cars and first class saloon cars London to Bucharest carried.
Steam operation turned out to be problematic early on: the tunnel made the passages a particularly sulfuric acid problem. The gradients of up to 31 per mille on the west and 27 per mille on the east ramp also made problems for the steam locomotives. On November 20, 1924, the problem with the electrification of the tunnel was eliminated once and for all. In 1925, the ramp routes finally followed. The electrification of the railway took place in advance with the 15 kV 16.34 Hz system. From now on, much heavier trains could be towed over the route. As a result, however, had rails and engineering structures for the elevated Axle loads be upgraded. This also included strengthening the well-known Trisanna Bridge at Wiesberg Castle.
Overall, despite competition from the road tunnel, traffic has developed so strongly that the access routes are now almost entirely double-tracked. Fast IC trains roll over the connection Vienna to Vorarlberg. The station Sankt Anton am Arlberg the tunnel's east portal has been completely rebuilt, and modern regional trains of the 4020 series are running on the valley sections.
preparation
getting there
Here we go
- innsbruck Hbf. The route leads through the Upper Inn Valley to the west.
- Kronburg Castle
- Trisanna Bridge With Wiesberg Castle, the route leaves the Upper Inn Valley and leads into the Stanzer Tal
- St. Anton (1304 m), one of the most famous vacation spots in western Austria.
- Arlberg tunnel, the line between the State of Tyrol and Vorarlberg is run over in the tunnel.
- Langen am Arlberg (1217 m), with the highest express train station in Europe.
security
trips
- innsbruck - At the beginning of the train journey you are in Innsbruck, the capital of the region Tyrol. Here lies a center of cultural life in Austria. Many museums and cultural centers are located here. There is also a wide range of religious facilities. Also visiting one of the listed buildings is recommended. In addition, Innsbruck is of course known for its importance in winter sports and many events are held here during the winter season.
- Bolzano - A detour to Bolzano is also easy to make with the Brennerbahn.
