Railway line Wiener Neustadt – Sopron

Wiener Neustadt Hbf – Sopron
Route number :	108 01
Course book route (ÖBB) :	524
Route length:	31.782 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	13  ‰
Minimum radius :	460 m
Top speed:	120 km / h
Legend Southern runway from Vienna Central Station -0.646 Wiener Neustadt Hbf 265  m above sea level A. Schneebergbahn to Puchberg am Schneeberg Southern runway Aspangbahn to Aspang market 0.457 B 17 0.784 Steinfeldschleife from Wiener Neustadt entry station 1.620 Kehrbach (4.8 m) S 4 3.469 Katzelsdorf 273  m above sea level A. 3.486 Kehrbach (4.8 m) 3,573 Leitha (22.9 m) ( Lower Austria - Burgenland border ) S 4 4,839 Municipal road (4.6 m) 5.637 Municipal road (5.5 m) 5,568 Siding company Homogen wood chipboard 5.966 Neudörfl 273  m above sea level A. S 4 8,859 Municipal road (3 × 4.7 m) 8,894 Bad Sauerbrunn 280  m above sea level A. 9.177 Municipal road (2 × 4.7 m) 10,892 Erlenbach (2 × 4.7 m) 11,586 Bridge (5.1 m) 13,063 Obradovits connecting railway 13,188 Wiesen - Sigleß (formerly Bf) 268  m above sea level A. 13.42 Krebsenbach / Landesstr. 4 × 7.58 m + 3 × 9.48 m P. 31 16,240 Mattersburg North 252  m above sea level A. 16,532 Mattersburg Viaduct (4 × 9.9 m + 4 × 11.6 m + 12 × 11 m) 16,999 Mattersburg 243  m above sea level A. 16,999 Railway connection warehouse 17,199 Connection railway company Felix Austria Burgenland Street B50 17.376 Connection railway company Koch 17.413 Rieselbach (11.5 m) 18,577 Mühlbach (2 × 5.8 m) 18.669 Altbach (4 × 5.8 m) 19,492 Marz - Rohrbach former train station 253  m above sea level A. 19.734 Rohrbach (5 × 5.9 m) 21,169 Breitbaubach (11.46 m) 21.723 Aglistergraben (2 × 7.6 m) 22,340 Bridge (7.1 m) 22.606 Dirt road 22.875 Dirt road (2 × 7.85 m + 8.0 m) 25,154 State road (6.6 m) 25.176 Loipersbach - Schattendorf 274  m above sea level A. 25,434 State border between Austria and Hungary 25,437 Aubach (9.5 m) 25,479 Preservation limit of the ÖBB 27.674 Ágfalva (Agenda Village) 31.782 Sopron-Déli Raaberbahn from Ebenfurth 33.101 Sopron (Ödenburg) 198  m above sea level A. Raaberbahn to Győr Harka (Harkau) Burgenland Railway to Deutschkreutz RÖEE to Steinamanger / Szombathely

The Wiener Neustadt – Sopron railway line (also known as the Mattersburger Bahn ) is a cross-border railway line in Austria and Hungary . It runs from Wiener Neustadt through Lower Austria and Burgenland to Sopron (Ödenburg). The Austrian part belongs to the supplementary network of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the Hungarian section belongs to the Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn (RÖEE).

The line is one of the oldest railway lines in Austria. It was built at the time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy by the “ Vienna-Raaber Bahn ”, founded by the banker Georg Simon Freiherr von Sina , which was also supposed to operate the southern routes (Vienna-Gloggnitzer Bahn), and on August 20, 1847 for passenger traffic opened. At the time of the monarchy, the border was in the middle of the Leithabrücke at a distance of 3.573 kilometers. Since the connection of Burgenland to Austria on January 25, 1921, the state border has been in the area of ​​the Loipersbach - Schattendorf train station on the bridge over the Aubach at 25.434 km.

The Wiener Neustadt – Sopron railway line was modernized between 1998 and 2001 and now allows speeds of up to 120 km / h. With the timetable change on June 9, 2001, signaled train control was introduced, with which the entire route from Wiener Neustadt to Loipersbach-Schattendorf is remotely controlled from Mattersburg station. In the next few years, the entire line is to be electrified and a rapid transit system to Mattersburg will be set up.

history

Mattersburg station around 1900

At the beginning of the 19th century the Austrian economy was very interested in a connection from Vienna to Trieste . Therefore, the Wiener Neustädter Canal was first built, but it did not get beyond Pöttsching . This project was later realized by the Südbahn .

In addition to the city of Sopron , it was the large landowners Esterházy and Széchenyi who demanded a connection to the developing railway and who worked together with the Sina bank for the construction of the Ödenburg-Wiener Neustädter Railway .

The planning and later also the construction was entrusted to Matthias Schönerer (1807–1881), who as an engineer was responsible for the railways belonging to the Sina financial group. Its original planning provided for a route from Wiener Neustadt to Wiesen - Sigleß according to the current situation. From there Mattersburg (then still "Mattersdorf") should have been reached along the slopes. The route should then take its course in the direction of Baumgarten and from there reach Sopron on the current route of the Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn.

Mattersburg Viaduct , survey drawing (before 1847)

Later, however, Schönerer changed his plans and chose the more direct line via Schattendorf and Agendorf / Agfalva, for which two mighty and at the time unique engineering structures - the "Wiesen Viaduct" and the "Mattersburger Viaduct" - were required. The trigger for this was probably not only the shorter route, but rather the fact that Schönerer had the opportunity to create a suitable "experimental field" for the upcoming construction of the Semmering Railway (1848–1854), which was also owned by the kk priv " to have. It is therefore no coincidence that the two viaducts mentioned have the same structural features as those of the Semmering Railway. In addition to these two viaducts, the route, which by no means shows the characteristics of a mountain railway, is characterized by a number of other smaller viaducts that cannot be found on any other comparable route.

After Bankhaus Sina received the definitive approval for the construction of the Vienna-Gloggnitzer Railway on February 16, 1839, it was supplemented on June 6, 1840 with the connection between Wiener Neustadt and Ödenburg. On November 2, 1844, the Ödenburg-Wiener Neustädter Railway Company was approved by Emperor Ferdinand I (King Ferdinand V in Hungary), and its statutes were approved on February 20, 1845. The share capital was 1.5 million guilders , 7500 shares were issued at 200 kroner each.

The concession provided for a contract between the governor in Ofen and the company: it was concluded on March 27, 1845 for 50 years. On the part of the railway company, Count István Széchenyi , Count Heinrich Zichy and Eduard Tschurl as secretary of the railway company were the signatories. The legal basis of the treaty was the Hungarian Law Article XXX on Land Transport, passed in 1836.

On March 30, 1845, the constituent general assembly took place in Ödenburg (Sopron). She confirmed Count Széchenyi as president. In his short speech, given in German, he declaimed: "A bright star has risen in western Hungary, whose growing radiance will illuminate the paths of its future rapid progress."

Construction work began in the spring of 1845 near Mattersdorf.

The 33.521 km long route was finally built within two years (spring 1845 to summer 1847). The train started at the southern end of the Wiener Neustadt train station, turned immediately to the east and shortly after the Katzelsdorf train station on the Leitha bridge reached the border between Austria and Hungary. Until the transition, the railway remained in the possession of the Vienna-Gloggnitz Railway and was also built by it. From the Leithabrücke onwards, the rest of the line belonged to the newly founded Ödenburg-Wiener Neustädter-Bahn and was built at their expense. But already during the construction work it was decided that the operation of the Ödenburger Bahn would be transferred to the Gloggnitzer Eisenbahn. The management of the Ödenburg-Wiener Neustädter Bahn was authorized by its second general assembly held on March 5, 1846, to negotiate with the Gloggnitzer Bahn. Although both railway companies belonged to the Sina bank consortium, the negotiations did not go smoothly.

The third general assembly on February 28, 1847 dealt with the financial difficulties that arose from the unforeseen additional costs and were also due to the fact that many of the subscribers for shares had made their payments late or not at all. The unforeseen costs arose for several reasons: Originally, a wooden bridge was planned at Mattersburg, but it was considered a fire hazard, which is why the decision was made to use the massive viaduct. Corrections to the route, the Mattersburg landslide, the originally unplanned restoration building in Ödenburg and higher prices for basic redemptions ultimately made it necessary to take out a loan in order to top up the building fund of 1.5 million guilders by another 750 thousand guilders . The resulting debts were finally settled by issuing new shares.

Invitation ticket for the opening on August 20, 1847

The entire route was driven for the first time on August 2, 1847. It was the Gloggnitzer Bahn's "Weilberg" locomotive that brought the first train to Ödenburg. On the day of Saint Stephen , August 20, the ceremonial opening took place. The opening train with nine guests from Vienna left at 5:30 a.m., and then at 7:00 a.m. in Wiener Neustadt. On the Forchtenstein 40 gun salutes were fired in greeting, and also in Sopron was Train with salutes expected. An honorary company, the citizens' militia and numerous dignitaries took part in the opening ceremony. A banquet followed, and at lunchtime the train returned to Vienna. The next day, the trains were already running according to the schedule. - It was not until October 1847 that the line was opened to all traffic.

The rapidly increasing traffic indicated an economic upswing for Ödenburg and the area served by the railroad. But as early as the next spring, 1848, there were revolutions in several European countries. In Hungary, a burst freedom struggle of the Emperor Franz Joseph I after one year, 1849, with the help of the Russian Tsar I. Nicholas was prostrate. Although the area of ​​western Hungary, which the Ödenburg railway crossed, was largely spared from the warlike events and the population as well as the military stationed on site remained loyal to the empire and the emperor, tensions arose between the halves of Austria and Hungary. Last but not least, this was one of the reasons why the urgently needed connection between Vienna and the Adriatic port of Trieste was not built via the cheaper western Hungarian area, but via the Semmering. In 1857, continuous traffic from Vienna via Gloggnitz, Semmering, Graz, Laibach and Karst to Trieste was completed. The junction from Wiener Neustadt via Ödenburg was not extended until 1865. Therefore it could never achieve the meaning originally intended for it.

The line became the first section of what was later to become the Hungarian southern railway line Wiener Neustadt – Szombathely (Steinamanger). The kilometrage of the Sopron – Szombathely section still continues the kilometrage of the Wiener Neustadt – Sopron section.

present

Mattersburg station in August 2010

Sopron station, taken from a train coming from Wiener Neustadt and continuing to Deutschkreutz (August 2010)

The line is now an ÖBB railway line that runs mainly in Austria. It leads from Wiener Neustadt via Mattersburg to the Austro-Hungarian border and on to Sopron. After the dissolution of the kk priv. Südbahngesellschaft, the Austrian part was transferred to the ÖBB. The Hungarian route section was operated by MÁV on behalf of ÖBB. Since February 1, 2002, the management of the Hungarian section has been with the Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn. However, the ÖBB are still the owners of the reasons on which the route runs in Hungary and must pay for the maintenance of the route. Even today, ÖBB still owns a track in Sopron station. The shared use of other MÁV and RÖEE tracks used to be regulated by separate peage contracts .

The line is single-track in standard gauge . However, the allocation of a second track was taken into account in the layout. For example, the mighty “Wiesener Viaduct” was built across the width for a second track.

The hourly train crossings take place at the usual symmetry minute just before the hour in Mattersburg. At certain times of the day, it is compressed to an approximate half-hourly cycle.

Although there have been intensive considerations for years to electrify the route, diesel is still used. Decisive for the delays were the different power systems of the ÖBB (15 kV 16.7 Hz ~ ) and the RÖEE (25 kV 50 Hz ~) and the disagreement about where the system change should take place. Although concrete plans had already been carried out, whereby the system change should take place immediately after the state border, which provided for electrification of the line by 2009 - according to the general transport plan, implementation was originally intended by 2006 - the implementation of the project was postponed for an indefinite period. This also made the rebuilding of the former Wiesen - Sigleß train station (today the stop) into a crossing station obsolete. The intended express train service to Mattersburg cannot be realized with it either.

Current vehicle use

Diesel locomotives of the 2016 series are mainly used , largely replacing the long-term 2143 and 2043 . With the exception of a schedule for RÖEE 5147.511 + 512, only ÖBB vehicles operate on the route. The series 5047/5147 still dominates the picture of diesel railcars . The new generation 5022 (Desiro) railcars are the exception.

There are now train attendants only in those trains that are run as push-pull trains. In early morning traffic, REX trains run from Deutschkreutz via Mattersburg and the southern line directly to Vienna Central Station. In the late afternoon, these REX trains run in reverse from Vienna Meidling via Mattersburg directly to Deutschkreutz.

gallery

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  Bad Sauerbrunn station building

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  The largest structure on the route is the Mattersburg Viaduct

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  Stop (formerly train station) Marz - Rohrbach

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  ÖBB 2143.030 on the viaduct in Rohrbach near Mattersburg

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  Viaduct in Rohrbach near Mattersburg

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  Bahnhof Loipersbach - Schattendorf

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  Border bridge between Austria and Hungary at the Loipersbach-Schattendorf train station in km 25.434 (looking towards Hungary)

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  Border post on the border bridge at Loipersbach-Schattendorf

See also

• List of railway lines in Austria

literature

• Hans Chmelar (Red.): 150 years of the railway in Burgenland. Fire, water, coal (Mattersburg, catalog of the Burgenland special exhibition 1997) . Burgenland Research, Special Volume No. 19. Office of the Burgenland State Government, State Archives - State Library, Eisenstadt 1997, ISBN 3-901517-09-X .

Web links

Commons : Mattersburger Bahn  - Collection of Images

• ÖBB timetable up -to-date (status: 2019/20 annual timetable)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The former Vienna-Raaber Bahn was able to change its name to Vienna-Gloggnitzer Bahn with an imperial decree of 1842, after the southern route could not only be realized earlier, but also seemed more important, which is also reflected in the name of the railway company wanted to. This swing to the south and south-east of the Sina companies is mainly due to the aforementioned competition between the Rothschild Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway and the Hungarian Central Railway, which initially had the privilege of connecting Vienna with Pest. -
   Chmelar: 150 years of the railway , p. 29
2. ↑ Chmelar: 150 Years of the Railway , p. 18
3. ↑ ^{a b} Chmelar: 150 Years of the Railway , p. 28
4. ↑ Chmelar: 150 Years of the Railway , p. 29
5. ↑ Chmelar: 150 Years of the Railway , p. 30
6. ↑ Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology : General Transport Plan Austria 2002 , page 59 (PDF file, 1.69 MB; accessed on June 28, 2010)