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Zillertal Railway

The Zillertal Railway or Zillertalbahn is a 760 mm (2 ft 5+1516 in) gauge independent railway running along the valley of the river Ziller (Zillertal) in Tyrol, Austria. The 32 kilometres (20 mi) line starts in Jenbach and terminates in Mayrhofen.

Zillertal Railway
Low-floor train at Jenbach railway station
Overview
LocaleZillertal
Termini
History
Opened1902
Technical
Line length31.7 km (19.7 mi)
Track gauge760 mm (2 ft 5+1516 in)
Route map

0.0
Jenbach
Inn Bridge
2,0
Rotholz
3,5
Strass
6,4
Schlitters
8,2
Gagering
10,2
Fügen-Hart
11,7
Kapfing
12,5
Uderns
15,3
Ried
18,5
Kaltenbach-Stumm
20,3
Aschau
22,4
Erlach
21,7
Zeller Bridge
24,4
Zell am Ziller
27,6
Ramsau-Hippach
28,7
Bühel
31,7
Mayrhofen

Background edit

Running through a valley in a high-amenity rural area, the line is used by tourists and for commuter transport by local people. Railway enthusiasts from all over the world are attracted to it because of its use of steam engines and its small track gauge.[citation needed]

Most of the passenger train services operate using modern diesel locomotives and railcars but the Zillertal Railway also has several steam locomotives which are used with heritage verandah rolling stock for special trains targeting tourists. Goods traffic is carried; standard gauge wagons to and from the main line network are carried on transporter wagons.

In Jenbach the Zillertal Railway meets the ÖBB standard gauge line between Salzburg and Innsbruck and the metre gauge Achensee Railway. Jenbach is the only location in Austria where railways of three different track-gauges meet.

History edit

 
Participation certificate of the Zillertal Railway, issued 30 September 1939
 
Steam train at Mayrhofen im Zillertal station (1970s)

The line was opened on 31 July 1902, serving the needs of residents of the upper Ziller valley and giving them access to Jenbach and the main line railway in the Inn Valley.[1]

In 1956 the present day company name, Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG, (i.e. The Zillertaler Transport Company) was adopted when the company absorbed a local bus operation that had been founded in 1935.

In 1965 the line was extended by 2.5 km to bring materials and equipment to a power station; the extension line has subsequently been removed once more. However at that time two diesel locomotives and some transporter wagons were acquired and the Zillertalbahn became the first railway in Austria to use "Zugfunk"—train control by radio.

In 1976 extraction of magnesium ore from Tux came to an end; this traffic had been an important source of income for the line since 1928.

Since 2005, points on the line have been operated remotely from the Jenbach Control Centre using fibre-optic technology.


Route edit

As a consequence of the valley's shape, the railway follows the river Ziller, as does the main road (Zillertalstraße). Both road and rail remain mostly on the eastern "right" bank. It is single track for most of the route, broadening to two or even three tracks in some stations. Road crossings are mostly level, some protected by barriers.

The sections Ramsau–Hippach–Zell am Ziller (3.33 km) and Kaltenbach-Stumm–Angersbach–Ahrnbach (2.0 km) have been made double track.[2]

At Fügen-Hart there is a siding to serve a timber company.

Current operation edit

In 2010 the annual freight traffic amounted to 320,000 tonnes, predominantly in connection with the forest products industry. 1.54 million passengers were carried in that year, a half-hourly service (of train and bus journeys combined) being introduced.

Rolling stock to the United Kingdom edit

Some of the Zillertal Railway's redundant rolling stock was donated by the railway to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Wales. In July 2019 the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway announced that it had signed a contract with the Zillertalbahn to hire newly overhauled U-class 0-6-2T locomotive, No. 2 'Zillertal', for approximately two years.[3]

Ownership edit

The Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG (ZVB) is (2010) owned by the Jenbach Marktgemeinde (i.e. local government unit) and other local communities (61%); individual shareholders (34%); and the Austrian state (5%).[2]

Future edit

In 2018, the ZVB unveiled its plans to move away from the ageing diesel trainsets in favour of hydrogen-powered units by 2025. The Zillertalbahn will then be the first fully hydrogen-powered small-gauge railway in the world. Hydrogen will be produced locally in Mayrhofen, where fuelling will take place in an all-new station. The five hydrogen-fuelled trainsets were set to achieve operational status by 2022, but financing issues postponed operation to winter 2024/25.[4]

Plans for an alteration of the trajectory were also announced. The section Aschau - Zell am Ziller will be completely replaced by a trajectory that more closely follows the Ziller river and directly connects to the Zillertaler ARENA skiing lifts near Zell am Ziller. Moreover, the historic Zillerbrücke will be bypassed and is destined for use by pedestrians and cyclists only. The section that runs through Zell am Ziller will be levelled and incorporated into the road.[5]

However, further financing issues have postponed the proposed infrastructure modernisations indefinitely.[6] As of January 2023, no construction works have commenced, nor have any of the hydrogen-powered trainsets been ordered.

References edit

  1. ^ "Firmengeschichte". Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe (in German). Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b Karl Arne Richter (editor), Europäische Bahnen '11, Eurailpress, Hamburg, 2010, ISBN 978-3-7771-0413-3
  3. ^ "Llanfair Line to host Austrian narrow gauge locomotive in UK". Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Hydrogen plans still ON - Green Hydrogen News". 26 August 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. ^ Die neue Zillertalbahn: Visualisierung Gesamtprojekt, retrieved 8 February 2023
  6. ^ "Verkehr: Zillertalbahn: Bilanz positiv/Wasserstoffzug unsicher". MeinBezirk.at (in German). 22 August 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Zillertalbahn at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website of the Zillertal Railway

47°13′53″N 11°52′53″E / 47.23139°N 11.88139°E / 47.23139; 11.88139

zillertal, railway, zillertalbahn, gauge, independent, railway, running, along, valley, river, ziller, zillertal, tyrol, austria, kilometres, line, starts, jenbach, terminates, mayrhofen, floor, train, jenbach, railway, stationoverviewlocalezillertalterminijen. The Zillertal Railway or Zillertalbahn is a 760 mm 2 ft 5 15 16 in gauge independent railway running along the valley of the river Ziller Zillertal in Tyrol Austria The 32 kilometres 20 mi line starts in Jenbach and terminates in Mayrhofen Zillertal RailwayLow floor train at Jenbach railway stationOverviewLocaleZillertalTerminiJenbachMayrhofenHistoryOpened1902TechnicalLine length31 7 km 19 7 mi Track gauge760 mm 2 ft 5 15 16 in Route mapLegend 0 0 Jenbach Connection to Lower Inn Valley line and Achenseebahn Inn Bridge 2 0 Rotholz 3 5 Strass 6 4 Schlitters 8 2 Gagering 10 2 Fugen Hart 11 7 Kapfing 12 5 Uderns 15 3 Ried 18 5 Kaltenbach Stumm 20 3 Aschau 22 4 Erlach 21 7 Zeller Bridge 24 4 Zell am Ziller 27 6 Ramsau Hippach 28 7 Buhel 31 7 Mayrhofen Contents 1 Background 2 History 3 Route 4 Current operation 5 Rolling stock to the United Kingdom 6 Ownership 7 Future 8 References 9 External linksBackground editRunning through a valley in a high amenity rural area the line is used by tourists and for commuter transport by local people Railway enthusiasts from all over the world are attracted to it because of its use of steam engines and its small track gauge citation needed Most of the passenger train services operate using modern diesel locomotives and railcars but the Zillertal Railway also has several steam locomotives which are used with heritage verandah rolling stock for special trains targeting tourists Goods traffic is carried standard gauge wagons to and from the main line network are carried on transporter wagons In Jenbach the Zillertal Railway meets the OBB standard gauge line between Salzburg and Innsbruck and the metre gauge Achensee Railway Jenbach is the only location in Austria where railways of three different track gauges meet History edit nbsp Participation certificate of the Zillertal Railway issued 30 September 1939 nbsp Steam train at Mayrhofen im Zillertal station 1970s The line was opened on 31 July 1902 serving the needs of residents of the upper Ziller valley and giving them access to Jenbach and the main line railway in the Inn Valley 1 In 1956 the present day company name Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG i e The Zillertaler Transport Company was adopted when the company absorbed a local bus operation that had been founded in 1935 In 1965 the line was extended by 2 5 km to bring materials and equipment to a power station the extension line has subsequently been removed once more However at that time two diesel locomotives and some transporter wagons were acquired and the Zillertalbahn became the first railway in Austria to use Zugfunk train control by radio In 1976 extraction of magnesium ore from Tux came to an end this traffic had been an important source of income for the line since 1928 Since 2005 points on the line have been operated remotely from the Jenbach Control Centre using fibre optic technology Route editAs a consequence of the valley s shape the railway follows the river Ziller as does the main road Zillertalstrasse Both road and rail remain mostly on the eastern right bank It is single track for most of the route broadening to two or even three tracks in some stations Road crossings are mostly level some protected by barriers The sections Ramsau Hippach Zell am Ziller 3 33 km and Kaltenbach Stumm Angersbach Ahrnbach 2 0 km have been made double track 2 At Fugen Hart there is a siding to serve a timber company Current operation editIn 2010 the annual freight traffic amounted to 320 000 tonnes predominantly in connection with the forest products industry 1 54 million passengers were carried in that year a half hourly service of train and bus journeys combined being introduced Rolling stock to the United Kingdom editSome of the Zillertal Railway s redundant rolling stock was donated by the railway to the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway in Wales In July 2019 the Welshpool amp Llanfair Light Railway announced that it had signed a contract with the Zillertalbahn to hire newly overhauled U class 0 6 2T locomotive No 2 Zillertal for approximately two years 3 Ownership editThe Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG ZVB is 2010 owned by the Jenbach Marktgemeinde i e local government unit and other local communities 61 individual shareholders 34 and the Austrian state 5 2 Future editIn 2018 the ZVB unveiled its plans to move away from the ageing diesel trainsets in favour of hydrogen powered units by 2025 The Zillertalbahn will then be the first fully hydrogen powered small gauge railway in the world Hydrogen will be produced locally in Mayrhofen where fuelling will take place in an all new station The five hydrogen fuelled trainsets were set to achieve operational status by 2022 but financing issues postponed operation to winter 2024 25 4 Plans for an alteration of the trajectory were also announced The section Aschau Zell am Ziller will be completely replaced by a trajectory that more closely follows the Ziller river and directly connects to the Zillertaler ARENA skiing lifts near Zell am Ziller Moreover the historic Zillerbrucke will be bypassed and is destined for use by pedestrians and cyclists only The section that runs through Zell am Ziller will be levelled and incorporated into the road 5 However further financing issues have postponed the proposed infrastructure modernisations indefinitely 6 As of January 2023 no construction works have commenced nor have any of the hydrogen powered trainsets been ordered References edit Firmengeschichte Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe in German Retrieved 21 December 2022 a b Karl Arne Richter editor Europaische Bahnen 11 Eurailpress Hamburg 2010 ISBN 978 3 7771 0413 3 Llanfair Line to host Austrian narrow gauge locomotive in UK Welshpool amp Llanfair Light Railway Retrieved 12 September 2019 Hydrogen plans still ON Green Hydrogen News 26 August 2021 Retrieved 8 February 2023 Die neue Zillertalbahn Visualisierung Gesamtprojekt retrieved 8 February 2023 Verkehr Zillertalbahn Bilanz positiv Wasserstoffzug unsicher MeinBezirk at in German 22 August 2022 Retrieved 8 February 2023 External links edit nbsp Media related to Zillertalbahn at Wikimedia Commons Official website of the Zillertal Railway 47 13 53 N 11 52 53 E 47 23139 N 11 88139 E 47 23139 11 88139 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Zillertal Railway amp oldid 1176850274, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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