Graz-Köflacher train and bus service

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Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH

logo
legal form GmbH
founding as GmbH January 1, 1998
(as Graz-Köflacher railway and mining company 1856)
Seat Graz , Austria
management Franz Weintögl (since 1998)
Number of employees about 420
Branch Railway company
Website www.gkb.at

The Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH (short form GKB ) is an Austrian transport company . In Styria, it operates the Graz - Lieboch - Köflach ( Köflacherbahn ) and Graz - Lieboch - Wies-Eibiswald ( Wieserbahn ) railway lines as well as 26 bus routes.

The GKB is a company owned by the Republic of Austria, but it is legally treated as a private railway because it is not mentioned in the Federal Railway Act . The company has national and international holdings and subsidiaries ( LTE , Adria Transport ) , it also offers rail services throughout Europe.

The company has had the right to use the Styrian coat of arms since September 2012 .

Railway lines of the GKB
Graz Hauptbahnhof
- Graz Köflacherbahnhof - Lieboch - Köflach
Lieboch - Wies-Eibiswald
Geographical data
continent Europe
country Austria
state Styria
Route-related data
Route of the Graz-Köflacher Bahn and bus service
Route number : Course book range 550
Route length: 91.257 km
Gauge : 1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Traction: diesel
Installation: June 22, 1859
Type of track : Mainline operated
branch lines
Operator: Graz-Köflacher Bahn und
Busbetrieb GmbH

Company history

License deed of August 26, 1855, (page 3 of 9)

Today's Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH, “GKB” for short, is part of a long series of restructuring and renaming that began before it was founded.

It all started with the Voitsberger-Köflacher-Maria Lankowitzer coal union and their desire to transport the mined coal from the western Styrian mining areas. On August 26, 1855, it received the imperial privilege to build and operate a “locomotive railway” from Köflach to Graz, which is one of the oldest railway documents that have been preserved today. Thereupon the trade union was transformed into a stock corporation called Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn- und Bergbau-Gesellschaft , which held its first general assembly in Vienna on January 16, 1856. In view of the low cost of ownership, the Vienna market also seemed of interest as a sales area for coal deliveries. The company ran the railway line from the opening on April 3, 1860 to 1878 in its own operation; a provisional operation had already been arranged by the military administration in 1859 due to the war in Italy . A lease contract with the Südbahngesellschaft had not come about, so that four new passenger cars and 15 coal cars were bought for this own operation. Another three locomotives, two tenders, four large box wagons, several coal wagons and a snow plow were rented from the state railway. Repairs were made in the workshops of the Südbahn. There were no electrical signals, as a security precaution, mutual communication between the guard houses, which were within sight of each other, was provided. The constant shortage of passenger cars meant that freight cars had to be used for passenger transport for Whitsun on May 23, 1860.

From September 9, 1878 to December 31, 1923, the routes were run by the former Southern Railway Company . The relationship with the Southern Railway was not free of friction, the first disputes over the interpretation of the operating contract began in 1911. From January 1, 1924 to June 30, 1924, the Austrian Federal Railways ran operations. On July 1, 1924, GKB took over its own operation again through a specially created railway directorate in Graz under Director Dr. Hermann Hunna. In 1928 the Österreichisch-Alpine Montangesellschaft took over the majority of shares in GKB. The economic situation of GKB followed that of its customers. A decline in the crisis of the Zang mining industry was followed by a crisis in 1923–1926 in which the GKB had to be supported by the mining company. In 1928 the majority of the shares finally passed to the Montangesellschaft. In 1932 the local line Leibnitz – Pölfing-Brunn ( Sulmtalbahn ) was also taken over. From August 1, 1940, there was a freight car community with the Deutsche Reichsbahn and the GKB was incorporated into the Hermann-Göring-Werke . In addition, the company rented twelve former Vienna light rail vehicles from the state railway between 1942 and 1949 .

At the end of the Second World War , the Graz-Köflacherbahnhof was 90% destroyed, 138,000 m² were devastated by 182 bombs. Several employees fell victim to the air strikes. Air strikes on trains caused seven locomotives to be shot down by low-flying aircraft and the locomotive crews were killed or seriously injured.

Loan of the GKB (1902)

On May 10, 1945, the GKB finally got a public administrator by law. The company name was changed to Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn- und Bergbau Gesellschaft on July 5, 1945 , and due to the Nationalization Act, the share rights became the property of the Republic of Austria in 1946. The concession was extended in 1958. In 1960 the railway celebrated its 100th anniversary, but the end of the concession on April 8, 1961 was considered certain. A corresponding farewell article with a series of pictures of the old steam locomotives still in operation at the time had already appeared. The license was renewed in 1961, however, and was then limited to 1966. This year it was again extended for one year. The published reasons for this are that ÖBB had concerns about a quick takeover of GKB and that a large insurance company would have lost a large customer as a result of the takeover. However, a takeover was also expected in 1966 and the disappearance of the GKB locomotives and wagons, which were already historic at the time, was regretted after the ÖBB took over operations. However, there were already more interested parties for the class 29 locomotives still available at GKB than there would have been machines at all. In 1977 the GKB license was extended for a further ten years. Thereafter, the license was extended several times, in some cases again only by one year, the last extension was from 2000 to 2025.

When the merger law came into effect in 1973, the Oesterreichisch-Alpine Montangesellschaft and VOEST merged , GKB became their subsidiary and on January 1, 1998, GKB was split into two legally independent companies: GKB-Bergbau GmbH and GKE, the Graz-Köflach railway GmbH , which since January 14, 2004 with the company name Köflacher Graz train and bus operation GmbH , is registered short "GKB" in the companies Register.

The GKB was involved in the operation of the Lavamünder Bahn after the public service on this railway line was discontinued and since 2002 only a nostalgic railway with occasional freight traffic has been run. That was unsuccessful. The Lavamünder Bahn company (LBB), whose shares have been wholly owned by GKB since 2012, was suspended in 2013 and its headquarters were relocated to Graz to the GKB headquarters.

passenger traffic

GKB is the most important transport service company in western Styria . The railway company is very well received by passengers, especially commuters and schoolchildren. The annual transport figures are currently around 6.3 million passengers in rail transport and around 6 million passengers in bus operations. The GKB is part of the Styrian transport association . All passenger trains only carry the second carriage class . In addition, GKB offers free bicycle transport on all trains .

Train

The GKB routes have been part of the new Styrian S-Bahn since December 9, 2007 . The Graz - Lieboch - Köflach ( Köflacherbahn ) line is run as a line S-Bahn Styriaand the Graz - Lieboch - Wies-Eibiswald ( Wieserbahn ) line as a line S-Bahn Styria. Since December 13, 2010, the route S-Bahn Styriafrom Graz to Wies-Eibiswald has been running via the Südbahn and Koralm Railway . This shortens the travel time from Deutschlandsberg to the state capital from 55 to around 40 minutes. The new Hengsberg station on the Koralmbahn and Werndorf station have also been served since then .

Long-distance transport

In cooperation with the Czech railway and long-distance bus operator Regiojet , GKB offered train connections between Vienna and Prague from December 2017 to December 2019 (the date of the timetable changes). GKB was responsible for the operational management in Austria. Four pairs of trains were run between Prague and Vienna Central Station with stops in the Moravian capital Brno , the border station Břeclav and Pardubice .

It was planned to extend this offer to the Prague – Graz route, which would have made the yellow RegioJets operated by GKB an alternative to the Railjets operated by ÖBB and ČD. The cooperation with Regiojet was ended in December 2019, however, and the Regiojet trains will be operated with the Westbahn from then on.

Artistically designed double-deck car by Erwin Wurm at the head of the GKB art train (2002)
GKB workshop building in Lieboch with the sculpture by Manfred Wakolbinger (2008)

Internationalization in freight transport

In the course of the liberalization of rail traffic, GKB has obtained a Europe-wide concession and thus transports goods through all of Austria and beyond. Within Austria, new market niches were found with the implementation of shunting work on private connecting railways and the reactivation of freight transport on lines that were already closed.

The stock of company-owned freight wagons originally consisted to a large extent of open freight wagons for coal transport, around 1960 there were a total of 766 freight wagons at GKB, mostly painted in gray. This number decreased over the next few decades to around 120 wagons, which were kept in the usual brown color in Austria and has continued to decrease since then.

Arts and Culture

Since 1998, the GKB has also built up an image as an art and culture railway, which is in contrast to the old image of "black trains" and coal trains. Even two old bridges were made available for art and culture: One as an object for the East Styrian Bridge Museum, a second for a huge sculpture by Hans Schabus near the village of Ohne , which is to connect the German states of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia .

Art move

The most striking example was the art train that was built in 2003 ( Graz as European Capital of Culture ). Under the artistic direction of Edelbert Köb and realized by the Kollerschlag workshop , five double-decker cars were designed by the artists Siegrun Appelt / Gerold Tagwerker , Eva Schlegel , Erwin Wurm , Otto Zitko and Heimo Zobernig . For this project, the GKB was awarded the Styrian cultural sponsorship prize “ Maecenas ” in 2005. From autumn 2013, the art foils on the double-decker cars were gradually replaced by the new GKB foiling due to reasons of age.

Sculptures and sculptures

Works by Matt Mullican (in Graz Köflacherbahnhof), Chris Burden in Deutschlandsberg station , Franz Polansek sen. in the Voitsberg station and Manfred Wakolbinger in the Lieboch station next to the infrastructure workshop building.

performing Arts

The promotion of music groups, concerts and CD and DVD productions that are related to the company, the region or the railroad complement GKB's commitment to art and culture. In recent years, for example, productions by the Wiener Neustadt Railway Music , the Lonsperch Roffler and Aniada a Noar groups or the WOLFRAM St. Martin mountain and hut band in the Sulmtal have been supported.

Railway operations

Car 63167 of the GKB, built in 1929 by the machine and wagon construction factory in Simmering , taken in Graz, May 1989

In the railway sector, GKB operates the Graz – Köflach line (“ Köflacherbahn ” or “Graz – Köflacher Railway”), which opened on April 9, 1873, on the Graz – Köflach line, which was opened on June 22, 1859 only for coal traffic and on April 3, 1860 for all traffic Lieboch – Wies-Eibiswald (" Wieserbahn ") as well as the Bärnbach – Oberdorf branch line and, among other things, the Pölfing-Brunn – Gleinstätten connecting line, a surviving remnant of the former Sulmtalbahn that opened on October 13, 1907 . After the Sulmtalbahn was initially operated by the Südbahngesellschaft and, after its dissolution, by the Austrian Federal Railways , GKB also took over the management of this route from April 1, 1930 until it was closed on May 27, 1967.

GKB passenger trains carried up to four classes, with the fourth class (standing room) introduced in April 1872 and abandoned in 1891. The ten two-axle cars in this class were intended for 60 people each. The 1st  class was abandoned in 1922, the 2nd class in 1932, and the 3rd class was renamed 2nd class in 1956.

First locomotives of the Graz-Köflacher Railway
First name number Manufacturer design type Years of construction
GRAZ 5 WRB 2B n2 1848
MUR 1 William Norris / Philadelphia 2B n2 1846
KÖFLACH 4th Web C n2 1862-1871
WIES 13 Web C n2 1872-1873
LANKOWITZ 2 Sigl / Vienna B n2t 1870

The locomotives from the StEG machine factory were specially built for lignite firing and equipped with a short, deep copper fire box. They could therefore be used for coal with a comparatively low calorific value: the calorific value of coal from the mines in Lankowitz was given as 3977 calories, that from Pichling with 3638 and from Rosental with 4407 calories (for comparison: coal from Wies 4960, Eibiswald 5322 or Trifail 4136 calories, brown coal has about a third of the calorific value of hard coal). Four of these locomotives were still in use in 1960, the 671 locomotive from this series is still operational in 2019, is used for special trips and is considered the longest-serving steam locomotive in the world. It has never been decommissioned since its construction in 1860 and has been a listed building since 2004.

Passenger traffic on the railway has been operated with articulated multiple units of the type GTW 2/8 from Stadler since 2011. At peak times, trains are also run as push-pull trains with double-decker cars . As of April 1993, GKB was the first railway company in Austria to use double-deck cars. Trains for commuters from and to Graz were run with two-axle passenger cars ( Spantenwagen and older type N28 wagons) until 1993 , some of which originated from around 1928 ("black trains"). In 1993 ten double-decker cars and five double-decker control cars were put into operation. The ÖBB followed this development later.

View of the Graz Köflacherbahnhof with the Schlossberg in the background (2006)
With the red lightning in the beautiful western Styria, Graz, May 1989

Infrastructure

The GKB is of great importance for the labor market in western Styria: in 1960, 60% of the workforce, of around 1200 at that time, came from western Styria.

The total length of the GKB route network is around 92 km (Graz – Lieboch 16 km / Lieboch – Köflach 25 km / Lieboch – Wies-Eibiswald 51 km). In addition, there is the 1.638 km long branch line Bärnbach – Oberdorf in Styria, which is currently unusable due to dilapidation, and the 4.664 km long Pölfing-Brunn – Gleinstätten line, the remaining part of the former Sulmtalbahn. Originally the owner was the Graz-Köflacher Railway and Mining Company (then "GKB", today "GKB-Bergbau"), which also carried out coal mining. The GKB built its own train station in the immediate vicinity of Graz main train station, which is still known today under the name “Graz Köflacherbahnhof” (internal abbreviation “Gkf”).

The route to Köflach leads through a former mining area (brown coal: lignite ). Since there were minable coal deposits under the railway line, the route was relocated twice (1935 and 1952). During the second installation, the 241-meter-long Rosental Tunnel (also: Rosentaler Tunnel, Rose Tunnel) was built.

In the second half of the 20th century, the slow decline in coal mining and the increasing need for mobility led to a reorientation towards passenger transport. On April 29, 1987 coal deliveries to Graz (to the district heating plant) ended, the last train was the G 79858 freight train from Bärnbach to Graz.

There are a total of 16 train stations, 16 stops and two loading points. The Bärnbach station was called Oberdorf Schacht (formerly Oberdorf I, Oberdorf) until 1955. The GKB routes are crossed by 127 level  crossings, 75 of which have technical security (66 traffic lights, 7 full barrier systems and 2 barrier barrier systems). 204 points are installed in the GKB network. It leads over 124 bridges and culverts and has two tunnels. (As of October 15, 2015)

The GKB has 16 electrical signal boxes. The entire route network of GKB is equipped with a continuous track vacancy detection (stations and route) as well as route blocking of the type ZG 62.

electrification

The Köflacherbahn and Wieserbahn are to be electrified by December 2025, and electrification is to be completed at the same time as the Koralmbahn goes into operation.

Traction vehicles

GKB rail bus set in May 1989
The GKB 671 - the longest-serving steam locomotive in the world
The new ADRIA Transport locomotive 1216 920 was moved by GKB 1700.1 and GKB 1500.3 at Graz Köflacherbahnhof
New Stadler GTW at the Köflacherbahnhof in Graz

From 1953 to 1993 Uerdingen rail buses shaped the image of passenger transport at GKB. Because of their coloring and (compared to the steam locomotives) speed they were called "Red Lightning". The first of these vehicles were single-engined, later twin-engined vehicles were procured, a total of 13 railcars. There were also 19 sidecars for passenger transport and two postal sidecars of the same color. Other railcars and sidecars were bought second-hand from the Deutsche Bundesbahn . The  last rail bus was purchased in 1968 with the railcar VT 10.09, and production of these vehicles also ended with it. From 1981, the sets of the "Red Lightning" were replaced by new class VT 70 railcars ; the last use of a rail bus set took place on May 22, 1993.

The first diesel locomotive for route service was used from the beginning of 1965. It had the number DE 750.1.

In the 1970s, the GKB routes increasingly became a magnet for railway enthusiasts and photographers, as the GKB was one of the last railway administrations in Austria to use steam locomotives for shunting and shunting and in some cases for the route service . A class 50 locomotive , the 50,685, was still driving a train from Graz to Wies-Eibiswald on May 6, 1975. The steam locomotives 56.3115 (not operational as of 2010) and the 671 ( series 29 ), built in 1860 and thus one of the oldest operational and longest-serving steam locomotives in the world, have been preserved. They are looked after by the “Steirische Eisenbahnfreunde” (StEF) association, which works in close cooperation with the GKB. The 671 locomotive was listed as a historical monument in 2004.

The new, modern Stadler type 2/8 articulated multiple units and the well-known double-decker trains, which are mostly hauled by locomotives of the DH 1500 series, have been in daily regional train service since 2011 . The class VT 70 railcars used earlier were withdrawn and sold in the course of 2013, the last train according to the timetable with one of these sets ran on July 1, 2013, a special trip on August 11, 2013. Machines of the DH 1700 series are used for freight trains , DH 1500 and DH 1100 used, in shunting service, in addition to the above, mainly locomotives of the DH 600 series. In addition, there are still some railway service vehicles in service with the GKB and rail buses of the VT 10 series, which are no longer used in scheduled traffic and are operated by the "Styrian Railway Friends “Be looked after for special trips.

In June 2006, GKB tested diesel multiple units of the Desiro type . On February 20, 2009, however, 13 air-conditioned diesel-electric railcars of the type GTW 2/8 were ordered, which with an output of twice 382 kW reach 140 km / h and offer 141 seats and 13  folding seats . Compared to the ÖBB 5022, improvements in seating comfort, the entry situation and the facilities for the disabled are sought. The official roll-in of the first set took place on August 26, 2010 at Graz Köflacherbahnhof. The new railcars went into operation with the 2010/2011 timetable change. Meanwhile, 16 train sets of the GTW 2/8 operate from the lines S-Bahn Styria, S-Bahn Styriaand . S-Bahn Styria

GKB public transport buses in the characteristic paintwork (2008)

Bus operation

In bus operation, which began in 1935, there are currently 27 bus routes in all of western Styria within the framework of the Styrian transport association. 45 round trips on lines 700, 702, 712 and 726 are operated by the Watzke bus company . In addition to the regular service, which mainly brings schoolchildren and commuters from western Styria to the work and school centers as far as Graz, special and travel trips are also offered. As of 2018, a total of 48 buses with an average age of five years were in use. In addition to the Graz Köflacherbahnhof with the administration of the bus operation and the bus repair shop, the bus operation also operates the vehicle operations in Stainz and Köflach .

Technical Railway Museum Lieboch

Technical Railway Museum Lieboch (TEML)

In Lieboch , the "Styrian Railway Friends " look after the Technical Railway Museum Lieboch (TEML), which opened on September 4, 2004 in the renovated boiler house of the Lieboch station. In addition to a permanent exhibition of historical exhibits, special exhibitions are also shown.

On the occasion of the opening of the railway museum, the newly built GKB workshop building in Lieboch was also opened. With its futuristic design, it creates an exciting contrast to the neighboring boiler house. In addition to offices, the new building houses workshops for the railway maintenance and security service. The modern architecture is further emphasized by a sculpture by the artist Manfred Wakolbinger . The entire ensemble with the TEML and the historic water crane that was also set up became a further landmark of the market town of Lieboch.

The Lieboch mobility center has also been established in the TEML since July 2008.

The historic VT 10 rail bus - "Red Lightning"

Styrian railway friends

The Steirische Eisenbahnfreunde (StEF) association is an association founded in 1975 which endeavors to preserve historically valuable GKB rolling stock and is supported by Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH . The association looks after the GKB 671 steam locomotives (south line 29, built in 1860, the longest-serving steam locomotive in the world) and 56.3115 (built in 1914, not operational, currently on display in the Lieboch Technical Railway Museum), which are owned by GKB, and are still used for special trips of the railcar VT 10.02 (built in 1953) and some historic wagons.

These vehicles are often used to organize special trips or take part in events. The StEF association also looks after the VT 10 series railcars that are still in the GKB stand.

gallery

GKB PR and employee magazine (GKB turntable)

The “Drehscheibe” is a regular information publication for employees, partners and friends of the GKB. It provides information on operational events and also reports on general topics from the railway sector, with a focus on Styria and Austria . The GKB turntable should not be confused with another railway magazine, the turntable .

All editions published so far are available as PDF files on the GKB homepage.

literature

  • Josef Slezak , Hans Sternhart: The 100 year old GKB - a treat for railroad fans. History, fleet and operation of the Graz-Köflacher Railway. Self-published by the author, Vienna 1960.
  • 100 years of the Graz-Köflacher Railway. Anniversary publication on the occasion of the centenary of the Graz-Köflacher Railway. Edited by the Graz-Köflacher Railway and Mining Company. Responsible for the content: Johann Deisinger, Graz 1960
  • Sepp Tezak : Graz-Köflacher Bahn I , series: Bahn im Bild 14, Vienna 1980.
  • Sepp Tezak: Graz-Köflacher Bahn II , series: Bahn im Bild 15, Vienna 1980.
  • Hansjürg Anlanger, Rainer Krafft-Ebing (editor): 125 years of the Graz - Köflach railway line : Commemorative publication on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the official commissioning of the Graz - Köflach railway line on April 3, 1860, publisher: Graz-Köflacher Railway and Mining Company - Transport Company , Graz 1985.
  • Rainer Krafft-Ebing (editor): 50 years of motor vehicle business : commemorative publication on the occasion of the 50-year existence of the motor vehicle operation of the Graz-Köflacher Railway and Mining Company, publisher and publisher: Graz-Köflacher Railway and Mining Company, Directorate of Transport Companies, Graz 1985.
  • Gerhard Artl, Gerhard H. Gürtlich , Hubert Zenz: Coal and Railway. 150 years of the Graz-Köflacher Railway ; Fassbaender, Vienna 2010, ISBN 978-3-902575-38-8 .
  • Gottfried Aldrian, Andreas Konečnik: 150 years Graz-Köflacher Bahn. Sutton, Erfurt 2010. ISBN 978-3-86680-701-3 .
  • Anton Reinbacher: 70 years of GKB bus service. (PDF; 1.0 MB) In: Drehscheibe, the employee magazine of Graz-Köflacher-Bahn- und Busbetriebe GmbH No. 20, April 2005 (abridged and expanded version of an article from "Omnibusspiegel" 1992) ZDB -ID 2181683-9 p 1-11.

Web links

Commons : GKB  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. § 1 of the Austrian Federal Act on Services for Private Railways (Privatbahngesetz 2004 - PrivbG), Federal Law Gazette I No. 39/2004 in the version No. 95/2009.
  2. Weststeirische Rundschau No. 36, volume 2012 (September 7, 2012), volume 85, ZDB -ID 2303595-X , page 1.
  3. 75 years of the Graz-Köflacher Railway . In: The Locomotive , XXXIII. Volume, Vienna, December 1936, No. 12, p. 229.
  4. Jubilee publication , p. 8.
  5. Jubilee publication , p. 9.
  6. ^ Anniversary publication , pp. 9/10.
  7. Jubilee publication , pp. 13–15.
  8. Jubilee publication , p. 15.
  9. Jubilee publication , p. 17.
  10. Jubilee publication , p. 17.
  11. 10 years of own operation of the Graz-Köflacherbahn . In: Die Lokomotive , year XXXII, January 1935, issue 1, p. 12 f.
  12. ^ Alfred Horn: Wiener Stadtbahn. 90 years of light rail, 10 years of underground. Bohmann-Verlag, Vienna 1988, ISBN 3-7002-0678-X , p. 111.
  13. Jubilee publication , p. 21.
  14. Hans Sternhart: 100 years of Graz-Köflacher-Eisenbahn (GKB) In: Eisenbahn , ISSN  0013-2756 ZDB -ID 162227-4 , year 1960, issue 2, pp. 36-39 and issue 3, pp. 59-64.
    Hans Sternhart: Traffic and Vehicles of the GKB In: Eisenbahn , Born 1960, Issue 3, P. 65.
  15. Johann Kössner: Farewell to the GKB In: Railway , born 1961, pp 54-55.
  16. ^ GKB license extended by one year. In: Eisenbahn , born 1966, issue 12, p. 258.
  17. ^ Eisenbahn , year 1967, issue 11, p. 204.
  18. a b turntable. Employee magazine of the Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH No. 22, August 2005. pp. 9–12. (queried June 8, 2017).
  19. GKE becomes GKB again. In: Eisenbahnverkehr aktuell (SVA), Verlag Pospischil, Vienna. ZDB ID 568412-2 . Issue 7, year 2003. P. 51: The abbreviation in the company name was changed back to GKB with a resolution of March 31, 2003, the logo had remained the same over the time of the GKE anyway.
  20. Official Austrian Commercial Register, FN 222739h (accessed October 10, 2019).
  21. Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH: GKB - Progress from Tradition ( Memento of the original from March 16, 2014 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gkb.at
  22. diepresse.com: From 15 euros: Czech private railway runs daily between Vienna and Prague , November 20, 2011
  23. derstandard.at: State Railway Graz-Köflacher competes with ÖBB , May 1, 2017
  24. Regiojet swaps horses. Instead of Graz-Köflacher, Westbahn runs for the Czechs. Daily newspaper Der Standard , 6 August 2019, p. 15.
  25. Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb GmbH: GKB's freight traffic ( Memento of the original from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gkb.at
  26. ^ Alfred Moser: Changes in the GKE fleet. In: Eisenbahnverkehr aktuell (SVA), Verlag Pospischil, Vienna, ZDB -ID 568412-2 . Issue 5, year 2002, p. 45.
  27. Franz Polansek: IN-FW-ST: Bridge relocation ; in: GKB-Drehscheibe No. 54 - March 2011, p. 23
  28. Franz Brugner: art in large format ; in: Kleine Zeitung of May 5, 2012, p. 15
  29. Slezak, Sternhart: 100 year old GKB . P. 26.
  30. Slezak, Sternhart: 100 year old GKB . P. 40 (back cover)
  31. Jubilee publication , p. 28.
  32. Jubilee publication , p. 42.
  33. a b G (ottfried) Aldrian, E (rnst) Suppan: 20 years of GKB double-decker trains . In: GKB-Drehscheibe No. 63 - September 2013, pp. 10-11.
  34. Jubilee publication , p. 49.
  35. Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn: Overview map and route network of the GKB ( Memento of the original from October 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gkb.at
  36. a b Slezak, Sternhart: 100 year old GKB . P. 12.
  37. GKB route network will be electrified by 2025. steiermark.orf.at, May 7, 2019, accessed on May 28, 2019 .
  38. Graz-Köflacher Bahn plans to electrify the line by 2025. tt.com, May 6, 2019, accessed on May 8, 2019 .
  39. GKB electrifies the region. gkb.at, May 6, 2019, accessed on May 8, 2019 .
  40. G (ottfried) Aldrian: Jubilee: 60 years of "Red Lightning". A GKB railcar conquers the hearts of West Styrians . In: GKB-Drehscheibe No. 62 - July 2013, pp. 10/11.
  41. ^ First diesel mainline locomotive for GKB. In: Eisenbahn , year 1965, issue 2, pp. 49/50.
  42. Turntable Online , accessed January 21, 2017.
  43. Weststeirische Rundschau No. 27, year 2013 (July 5, 2013), 86th year, ZDB -ID 2303595-X , page 3.
  44. Styrian Regionalbahn GKB buys 13 railcars from Stadler Rail AG , Kleine Zeitung of February 20, 2009
  45. GKB turntable , volume 17 of October 2004, page 8: Opening of the TEML and IN workshops (PDF file; 1.1 MB)
  46. ^ Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn: The turntable online