Chronicle of the electrification of railway lines in Austria
The electrical operation of railway lines in Austria dates back to 1880. At that time, a small exhibition track was temporarily put into operation as the second electrically operated train in the world. As was the case a year earlier for the exhibition railway in Berlin, the client was Werner von Siemens . This is considered to be the "forefather" of electrical operation of railway lines.
historical development
monarchy
The official beginning of the age of electric railways in Austria falls on October 22nd, 1883 with the opening of the first section of the Mödling – Hinterbrühl local railway between the Mödling and Klausen stations . This railway operated by the Austrian Southern Railway Company had an operating voltage of 550 V DC with a track width of 1,000 mm . The catenary system consisted of two slotted tubes in which metal boats slid. The railcars were supplied with electricity via insulated cables. The railcars 1–5 were built by Siemens & Halske in Berlin and 11–12 by the workshop of the Südbahngesellschaft in Vienna for the operation of the railway . A small Bt steam locomotive was added as a reserve in 1884. Since the electrical equipment proved to be operationally safe, it was rented out in 1887 and sold in 1896. The Mödling – Hinterbrühl local railway, which was licensed as a railway, was the first public electric railway in continental Europe and at the same time a model for the development of electric trams . In addition, in the 1890s she initiated the construction of electrically operated local and industrial railways.
Since alternating current was better suited to the transmission of electrical energy over long distances, first attempts were soon made to use it as traction current. In the powder factory of the Wöllersdorfer Werke , the works railway was electrified with three-phase current . The reason was that a solution was sought to avoid the dangerous steam operation there because of flying sparks. This led to the development of the world's first high-voltage locomotive. The still limited controllability of three-phase motors and the complicated overhead contact line meant that this system was no longer pursued in Austria.
The solution emerged in 1903 when single-phase alternating current with a frequency of 25 Hz was used for the first time on a test track in Berlin. The later report and the 1906 application for the electrification of the Mariazellerbahn were the basis for the introduction of single-phase AC technology to operate Austrian railways. Even when doubts arose in Italy due to the inadequate functioning of two single-phase railways, the construction director of the Mariazellerbahn, Eduard Engelmann junior , did not allow himself to be dissuaded from his conviction that this electricity system was the most suitable for operating the railroad. Immediately after the Mariazell Railway started operating on May 2, 1907, it became apparent that the enormous onslaught of steam could not be managed, so it was necessary to push ahead with electrification. "Looking back, the performance of the officials of the former state railway office in association with the Austrian department of the electrical company Siemens-Schuckert can be seen in some points as exemplary for the later electrification of the railways". The line was equipped in just over three years from 1907 to 1911. Taking into account the difficult terrain, the narrow tunnels, the small radii of up to 80 m and, ultimately, the necessary new constructive developments for many fundamental questions of rail electrification was a huge achievement. In contrast to trams, the overhead line was built using massive supporting structures and steel masts. It was not possible to fall back on extensive experience, as the Stubai Valley Railway , which opened on August 1, 1904, was operated on the one hand with 2,500 V single-phase AC voltage and on the other hand was only 18.2 km long; the Mariazellerbahn, on the other hand, was 91.3 km long and was designed for 6,500 V AC with a frequency of 25 Hz. How sustainable this development was is underlined by the fact that the rod-driven locomotives of the original series designation E 103 were in use for years with only minor modernizations and were only replaced by new railcars in 2013. The power plants required for energy supply and built under the most difficult conditions in the mountainous landscape were also used to supply the region with electricity and formed the cornerstone for the Lower Austrian state energy company NEWAG, today's EVN AG .
This left the technical solution for the electrical operation of standard gauge railways. With the construction of the Austro-German Mittenwaldbahn , which opened on October 28, 1912, and the Ausserfernbahn , which opened on May 29, 1913, principles that still apply today were established. The peculiarity that the Mittenwaldbahn runs from Innsbruck via Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Reutte required bilateral negotiations between Austria and Bavaria . When planning the railway, a comparison of the types of traction resulted in the finding that, due to the maximum gradients of up to 36.5 ‰, only electrical traction could be used; otherwise the route would have to be chosen much longer, more complex and, above all, more expensive. However, those responsible were so divided on the system question of the traction power supply that three different variants were pursued. At the time the project was drafted in 1908/09, the single-phase system with 10,000 V was the most likely form. It was not until 1911 that the technical committee in the Association of German Railway Administrations decided on the traction current system with 15,000 V single-phase AC voltage with a frequency of 16 2 ⁄ 3 Hz, which is still valid today at the ÖBB , DB , SBB , NSB and SJ Has. The Imperial-Royal Austrian State Railways commissioned the construction of the first standard-gauge electric locomotive, the mechanical part of which was developed by the Locomotive Factory Floridsdorf (LOFAG), while the electrical part was provided by Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG). The nine procured locomotives were set under the series designation 1060.01-09 and had a service mass of 53.05 t and a friction mass of 40.8 t, a continuous output of 370 kW at 36 km / h. On the highest incline, this could carry 120 t.
The Mittenwaldbahn was followed on February 5, 1914 by the opening of the standard gauge Pressburger Bahn . This had the peculiarity that it was run as a tram in the Vienna and Pressburg urban areas and was therefore supplied with 600 V or 550 V DC voltage in the urban areas. On the 50.5 km long overland route between the stations Groß Schwechat and Kittsee it was operated with 15,000 V 16 2 ⁄ 3 Hz, whereby the newly developed electric locomotives of the 1060.10-12 series were also used here. The different power supply meant that the locomotive had to be changed twice for continuous trains. Apart from the 5.6 km long connecting piece between the German-Austrian state border and Salzburg Hbf on the Rosenheim – Salzburg line , the Pressburger Bahn was the last railway to be built during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy .
Between the wars and the Second World War
The collapse of the Habsburg monarchy also meant that Austria was now dependent on coal imports. The rapid expansion of domestic hydropower and the electrification of the railways were seen as vital. As early as March 1, 1919, the Austrian State Railways established their own electrification office. The electrification of the Arlbergbahn and Salzkammergutbahn began immediately. Not only did the overhead line have to be built for this, but the electrification ranged from the construction of the railway's own power plants and transmission lines to the development of electric locomotives and much more. In 1930 the inner-Austrian connection from the city of Salzburg to Bregenz was fully electric, as was the Salzkammergutbahn, the connection from Wörgl via Kufstein to Bavaria, the Brennerbahn from Innsbruck to Brennersee and the connection from Feldkirch via Liechtenstein, in addition to the lines that were electrified during the monarchy to Switzerland. At the time, however, the continuation of electrification was highly uncertain. This was less due to a lack of financial resources, as one would assume, but rather to a calculation published by the board of directors of the Federal Railways in 1927, according to which further electrification would no longer be profitable due to lower coal prices and higher efficiency of steam engines. The electrical industry countered with a memorandum and a binding offer for the electrification of the Western Railway from Salzburg to Vienna, well below the price that the Federal Railway used in its calculations. An academic study was commissioned by politics. However, the eight professors could not agree on a joint report. The majority considered the calculations of the Bundesbahn to be a miscalculation and advocated continuation of electrification, but three professors considered this to be insufficiently proven and wrote a minority report. Without waiting for the result, the Federal Railroad commissioned the construction of new steam locomotives for the Westbahn. With the Tauernbahn , however, the proponents of electric traction were able to prevail. In 1935, after the Arlberg and Brennerbahn, the third major mountain railway in Austria was fully electrified. In 1937, as part of a job creation program, it was decided to electrify the Western Railway from Salzburg to Linz. After Austria was annexed to the German Reich, this was reduced to Salzburg - Attnang-Puchheim and all further electrification plans were discarded.
At the end of the Second World War , around 1,000 kilometers were electrified.
Second republic
After the end of the war, the General Director of the Austrian Federal Railways spoke out in favor of full electrification. After the existing electrical systems were repaired relatively quickly, the implementation of a new electrification program began in May 1946. From 1948 Austria received support from the Marshall Plan . On December 19, 1952, the last section of the Western Railway was handed over to electrical operation. The festively decorated opening procession, in which Federal President Theodor Körner was among others , was greeted with red-white-red flags by onlookers and school children along the route. In occupied post-war Austria , the electrification of the Western Railway, which crossed the American-Russian zone border on the Enns Bridge, was particularly symbolic. It was a signal for the striving for economic independence and against the division of the country.
With the electrification of the Tulln – St. Pölten , 3,000 km or 51.3 percent of the Austrian route network were electrified in mid-1981. 91 percent of the transport service was provided electrically.
present
Today, around 7,900 km of the 11,000 km of ÖBB tracks are electrically operated. The Pannoniabahn was electrified until 2009. The electrification of the Mattersburger Bahn between Wiener Neustadt Hbf and the state border next Loipersbach - Schattendorf (26.1 km) and the Gänserndorf – Marchegg line (18.174 km) are in the planning stage.
With the electrification of the remaining Ausserfernbahn between Reutte and the border near Schönbichl (14.390 km) in 2019, the Tyrolean ÖBB route network is 100% electrified.
Routes in today's Austria
Austrian Federal Railways and predecessor railways
This list only includes electrification of railway lines of the Austrian Federal Railways and their predecessor railways. The lines of the ÖBB were generally electrified with 15,000 volts alternating current with a frequency of 16.7 Hz. If a railway is or was operated with a different power system, this is noted separately in the Comment column .
Private railways
This list shows the electrification of railway lines by Austrian private railways, which are now located on Austrian territory. The power system is listed in the Note column .
Outside of today's Austrian territory
In the former crown lands of Bohemia and Moravia, which no longer belong to Austria, and in South Tyrol , the first lines were electrified before the First World War . The local line Tabor – Bechin is the first standard-gauge electrified railway line in the entire ku k. Dual monarchy in today's Czech Republic .
Bohemia and Moravia
This list shows the railway lines in today's Czech Republic that were electrified until 1918 .
| year | Day month | route | concession | section | Power system legend: “=” = direct current , “~” = alternating current , “V” = volts , “Hz” = hertz |
annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | June 21st | Tábor – Bechyně | Local railway Tábor – Bechin | Tábor - Bechyně | 2 × 700 V = | first electrified full-line railway in Austria-Hungary ; Standard gauge |
| 1911 | December 17th | Hohenfurth - Lippnerschwebe | Hohenfurt Electric Local Railway | Hohenfurth - Lippnerschwebe | 1250 V = | Standard gauge |
South Tyrol and Welschtirol
This list shows the railway lines electrified up to 1918 in the Italian provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino , which once belonged to Austria and are now autonomous .
| year | Day month | route | concession | section | Power system legend: “=” = direct current , “~” = alternating current , “V” = volts , “Hz” = hertz |
annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | August 1st | Lana - Merano | Local railway Lana – Meran | Lana - Merano | 800 V = | Meter gauge |
| 1907 | 13 August | Ascension - Klobenstein | Renon Railway | Ascension - Klobenstein | 800 V = | Meter gauge |
| 1908 | 20th of July | Bruneck - Sand in Taufers | Tauferer Bahn | Bruneck - Sand in Taufers | 800 V = | Standard gauge |
| 1909 | October 11th | Trento - Malè | Local railway Trento – Malè | Trento - Malè | 800 V = | Meter gauge |
| 1911 | - | Bolzano - Kaltern | Überetscher Bahn | Bolzano - Kaltern | 650 V = | Standard gauge |
See also
- List of traction power systems
- History of the electric drive of rail vehicles
- Chronicle of the electrification of railway lines in Switzerland
literature
- Paul Dittes: On the progress of the work to electrify our state railways. In: Electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Journal of the Electrotechnical Association in Vienna. Organ of the Association of Austrian and Hungarian Electricity Companies / Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Journal of the Electrotechnical Association in Vienna (and organ of the branch association Brno) / E. u. M. (E and M) electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Journal of the Electrotechnical Association in Vienna / E and M electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Journal of the Electrotechnical Association in Vienna from 1883 to 1938 / E and M electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Organ / journal of the Elektrotechnisches Verein Österreichs , year 1921, (XXXIX. Year), issue 16/1921, April 17, 1921, pp. 185–196. (Online at ANNO ).
- Heinrich G. Kraus: White coal for Austria's railways . First edition. Pospischil, Vienna 1992, DNB 947692118
Web links
- Rainer Leitner: As if drawn by magic ... in Graz University of Technology (accessed March 31, 2009)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hellmuth R. Figlhuber (among others): 100 years of the Mödling - Hinterbrühl electric railway . Festschrift. 2nd Edition. Medilihha, series of publications by the Mödling District Museum Association, ZDB -ID 2303571-7 . District Museum Association, Mödling 1983.
- ↑ Hans Sternhart: The history of the Austrian railways and their locomotives . In Eisenbahn Österreich , issue 12/1962, ISSN 0013-2756 .
- ^ Kraus: White coal .
- ^ Austrian Siemens-Schuckert-Werke: The single-phase alternating current line St. Pölten – Mariazell. Vienna 1926 (?).
- ^ Hermann Polaczek: Mariazellerbahn - 60 years of electrical operation . In: The ÖBB in words and pictures , volume 10, Vienna 1971, ZDB -ID 274757-1 .
- ↑ Wolfgang Krutiak: Mittenwaldbahn. Innsbruck - Garmisch-Partenkirchen. History, technology and regional studies of the Mittenwald and Ausserfernbahn Innsbruck - Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Reutte. An overview map . Slezak, Vienna 1976, ISBN 3-900134-30-8 .
- ^ Alfred Horn: "60 Years" - The Preßburgerbahn. With (...) plans, situation and type sketches as well as 33 tables and tabular overviews . Bohmann, Vienna 1974, ISBN 3-7002-0420-6 .
- ↑ a b Report on Markstein in Austria. In: The Federal Railroad . Vol. 57, No. 10, 1981, ISSN 0007-5876 , p. 863 f.
- ↑ ÖBB Infrastruktur Betrieb AG: Data & Facts ( Memento of the original from December 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Christoph Gasser-Mair: Milestone - Tyrolean ÖBB route network 100% powered. ÖBB, December 11, 2019, accessed on December 12, 2019 .
- ^ A b Alfred Horn (compilation): ÖBB-Handbuch 1997 . Bohmann, Vienna 1997, ZDB -ID 644323-0 , p. 194 ff.
- ↑ a b Journal Eisenbahn Österreich, various volumes and editions, Bohmann Verlag Vienna and Minirex Verlag Luzern
- ↑ a b Journal Eisenbahnverkehr aktuell, various volumes and issues, Pospischil publishing house, Vienna, ZDB -ID 568412-2 .
- ^ Magazines The ÖBB in words and pictures and ÖBB-Journal, self-published by ÖBB Vienna
- ↑ a b Electric Railway Salzburg-Berchtesgaden . In: Walter Reichel (ed.): Electric power companies and railways . Volume VI, Issue 6. R. Oldenbourg, February 24, 1908, p. 111 f . ( archive.org ).
- ↑ a b Electric railways in Berchtesgadener Land . In: Electrical engineering and mechanical engineering . Volume XXVI, Issue 40. Vienna October 4, 1908, p. 863 ( onb.ac.at ).
