Landesbahn Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg

Landesbahn Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg
Course book route (ÖBB) :	532
Route length:	21.214 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	1800 volts  =
Maximum slope :	42  ‰
Minimum radius :	130 m
Top speed:	40 km / h
Legend Styrian Eastern Railway from Graz Hbf 0.0 Feldbach 280  m above sea level A. Styrian Eastern Railway to Fehring Raab Connecting railway Styrian Hartsteinwerke Appel 1.7 Feldbach Landesbahn 290  m above sea level A. 3.3 Oedt b. Feldbach settlement 300  m above sea level A. 4.3 Oedt b. Feldbach 308  m above sea level A. 7.5 Prädiberg 380  m above sea level A. 9.6 Fischa 390  m above sea level A. 11.5 Burgfried b. Gnas 405  m above sea level A. 12.3 Gnas 371  m above sea level A. 14.6 Katzendorf in Styria 15.2 Maierdorf 300  m above sea level A. 17.3 Farmsteads 380  m above sea level A. 19.6 Trautmannsdorf in Eastern Styria 310  m above sea level A. 21.2 Bad Gleichenberg 269  m above sea level A.

The Landesbahn Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg, also known as the local line Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg or Gleichenberger Bahn , is a standard gauge and direct current operated railway line in the Austrian state of Styria . The railway line was opened in 1931. It is 21.214 kilometers long and is owned by the Steiermarkbahn (StB), which also operates the route. The branch line connects to the Styrian East Railway in Feldbach and has its end point in Bad Gleichenberg . Further planning up to Bad Radkersburg could never be realized. The route has been integrated into the Styrian transport association since February 28, 1994 .

Construction and operation

The history of the state railway goes back to April 14, 1886, when a project for a railway line from Feldbach to Bad Gleichenberg, with the option of an extension to Bad Radkersburg, was presented for the first time.

In 1900, Dr. Hermann Brück, court and court advocate in Vienna, awarded the contract for technical preparatory work for the construction of a standard gauge local railway from the Feldbach station via Gleichenberg to the Purkla station on the Spielfeld – Radkersburg line.

In mid-1909, reports were made of a planned Fehring – Gleichenberg – Radkersburg local line. For a variant of this project, a line leading from Mahrensdorf via Windisch-Kölldorf to Bayerisch-Kölldorf , the Ministry of Railways approved the carrying out of preliminary technical work.

1916/1917, during the period of the First World War , which was in Mühldorf bei Feldbach heeled POW camp with a siding to the Styrian Eastern Railway connected. After the end of the war, the camp remained as a hospital .

On March 17, 1926, the Styrian state government decided to resume construction of the railway from Feldbach to Bad Gleichenberg, whereupon the planned route was politically inspected in January 1927 . On December 10, 1928, the 90-year concession was given to Franz Winkler and lawyer Dr. jur. Gustav von Webenau (both Graz ) granted.

The route through the Eastern Styrian hill country required ramps with a gradient of up to 40 per thousand, numerous dams and cuttings and the smallest radii of 150 meters. The fact that the route was partially rescheduled and now led via Gnas increased the construction costs. Construction was also delayed due to the terrain, which was difficult and at risk of slipping, and a total of 23 major landslides impaired the construction of the route. One also had to struggle with capital problems in the winter of 1927/28. A total of eight construction workers were killed in a catastrophic landslide on November 29, 1927. At the end of 1930, the route with all the high-rise buildings and electrical systems was completed, but the unusually heavy autumn rains caused further landslides in parts, which delayed the completion of the railway until the summer of 1931. The construction work up to km 7.3 was carried out by the Styrian State Railway Office on its own, the further route was built by a working group, which u. A. the companies Universale , Porr and Redlich & Berger belonged.

On June 14, 1931, the railway line was opened in the presence of Federal President Wilhelm Miklas and on June 20, passenger and freight traffic began on the line. Operational management was transferred to the Styrian State Railway Authority. The line started operating with 1500  volts direct current , the ELIN and AEG supplied the electrical equipment for the line and the vehicles.

On April 4, 1932, the “Aktiengesellschaft Lokalbahn Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg” was founded, which on July 2 of the same year received approval from the Federal Ministry of Trade and Transport to carry out preliminary technical work on an extension to Purkla to connect to the Radkersburger Bahn . The project never went beyond the planning stage.

With the dissolution of the Aktiengesellschaft der Lokalbahn Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg on June 30, 1942, the concession and the assets were transferred to the State of Styria, with the result that the “Lokalbahn” became the “Landesbahn”.

In April 1945, on the occasion of the Second World War, the entire area of ​​the railway line became an immediate theater of war. The railway line was seriously affected. Operations could not be resumed until November 1, 1947 - initially with steam locomotives. The restoration of the overhead line and the start of electrical traffic lasted until November 15, 1948.

With the start of the StB (then STLB) bus service between Feldbach via Straden and Bad Radkersburg on December 16, 1947, the intended extension of the railway line was finally shelved. Between 1962 and 1970, a direct connection with type 5045 and 5146 diesel multiple units between Vienna Südbahnhof and Bad Gleichenberg was offered as E 953 / E 954 "Oststeirer". This train was then led from Vienna to Graz, and a through car was added to Bad Gleichenberg for a few years .

In the period between January 1, 1987 and June 30, 2005, the "Bahnexpress" express transport was offered.

After the old mercury vapor rectifier station in Gnas no longer met the demands, this was in 1975 against a silicon diode - rectifier system replaced. The power system was converted to 1,800 V direct current on this occasion. This system was renewed again in 1992. Between 1991 and 1995 the entire overhead line between Feldbach and Gnas was renewed in sections.

Infrastructure

Since many municipalities wanted to be connected to the railway, it does not follow the most direct line, but is extremely winding and is almost twice as long as the road connection between the two places. The route is designed for a maximum speed of 40 km / h. The narrowest radius is 140 meters. In addition, due to the south-east Styrian hill country, there are gradients of up to 42  per thousand . This is reflected in the total travel time of 33 minutes. The Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg line has 82 level crossings and is equipped with 32 points.

vehicles

The "ET 1" electric multiple unit in Bad Gleichenberg station

Electric locomotive E-41

Motorcar X-51

Passenger car EB-22

Operation on the Gleichenberger Bahn is carried out with two electric multiple units and one electric locomotive, which were built by the Grazer Waggonfabrik and electrically equipped by ELIN and AEG .

The "ET 1" was put back into operation on January 16, 1980 after a complete overhaul and modernization. On September 16, 1991, the "ET 2", converted according to the same model, was put back into service. Among other things, the wooden superstructures of both vehicles were replaced by steel car bodies . In 2002, the "E 41" electric locomotive was converted including a radio remote control system. Finally, in 2004, the "EB 22" passenger car, which is mainly used for special trips, was partially repaired.

For work on the overhead line, the motorized trolley "X 51" (commissioned in 1992) equipped with a radio-controlled hydraulic crane and assembly cage is used.

passenger traffic

With the emerging competition of buses and, from the 1950s onwards, that of private transport, the number of passengers steadily declined. While in the 1950s around 100,000 people per year traveled by train, in the 1990s there were only just under 30,000 passengers per year. A trend reversal has recently become apparent: for 2013, an analysis by the VCÖ shows around 48,000 passengers. In 2016, the number of people transported increased to 59,800.

Current operation

Currently (2020 timetable) four pairs of trains run on the route every day. Monday to Friday, the first pair of trains is not available on school-free days. The connections are coordinated with the S3 rapid transit line to Graz.

future

The "Regional Mobility Plan - RMP Südoststeiermark" from June 2018, which has a term of 10 to 15 years, presents the situation of the Gleichenberger Bahn as follows: "The traffic effect of the Gleichenbergerbahn in everyday traffic is due to the route, the location of the stations and the Very short travel time. Making it more attractive would cost a lot of money and would not have much effect. The railway's opportunity lies in its potential as a tourist attraction. The railway offers a nostalgic driving experience with a beautiful view of the landscape of the volcanic country due to its buildings and vehicles, which date from the early days of the company. ” The long version of the final report discusses various possibilities for the permanent maintenance of the infrastructure.

Freight transport

StB gravel transport with E-41

The "ET 2" electric multiple unit on the Raabbrücke

Freight traffic, which is carried out almost exclusively for the quarry company “Steirische Basalt- und Hartgesteinwerke Appel” in Mühldorf near Feldbach , is one of the main sources of income for the railway.

gallery

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  The former station building in Bad Gleichenberg is being completely renovated

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  Bad Gleichenberg train station in a north-westerly direction (route towards Maierdorf)

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  Bad Gleichenberg train station towards the southeast (towards the end of the line)

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  New waiting bunk with new Park & ​​Ride facility in Bad Gleichenberg station

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  Contact line switch in the "off" position

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  Old, still functional contact line switch in Bad Gleichenberg station

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  Overhead line portal at the end of the Landesbahn line in Bad Gleichenberg station

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  "ET 1" and "ET 2" when separating after driving in double traction

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  Driver's cab of the "ET 1" electric multiple unit

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  Type plates of the "ET 1" electric multiple unit

literature

• Sepp Tezak , Franz Kleindel: Steiermärkische Landesbahnen. Standard gauge. This volume covers the Gleisdorf - Weiz, Peggau - Deutschfeistritz - Übelbach and Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg routes . Bahn im Bild, Volume 29. Pospischil Verlag, Vienna 1982, OBV .
• Franz Weinzettl : Offside, on the tracks . Edition Korrespondenzen, R. Ziegler, Vienna 2008, ISBN 978-3-902113-55-9 . (Literary description of the route in diary form). 

Individual evidence

1. ^ Steiermärkische Landesbahnen: Worth knowing, Landesbahn Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg ( Memento of August 27, 2005 in the Internet Archive ).
2. ^ Marburg News. (...) Feldbach – Purkla railway project. In:  Marburger Zeitung , No. 65/1900 (XXXIXth year), June 12, 1900, p. 5 middle. (Online at ANNO ). .
3. ↑ Trade, Industry, Transport and Agriculture. (…) Pre -concession .. In:  Wiener Zeitung , No. 186/1909, August 15, 1909, p. 9, bottom right. (Online at ANNO ). .
4. ↑ Federal Law Gazette 1928/334. In:  Federal Law Gazette for the Republic of Austria , year 1928, pp. 2099–2103. (Online at ANNO ). .
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} Robert Werth: The Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg railway . In: The water industry . No. 34-35 . Benno Fanto, Vienna 1933, p. 481-487 .
6. ↑ ^{a b} Sepp Tezak: Styrian railways I . In: Peter Wegenstein (Ed.): Bahn im Bild . revised edition. tape 29 . Pospischil, Vienna 1996, p. 12 .
7. ^ Wilhelm Hübel: 50 years of the Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg local railway . In: Rail transport currently . No. 7/81 . Pospischill, Vienna 1981, p. 3-7 .
8. ^ ÖNB-ANNO - Railway and Industry. Retrieved March 16, 2020 . 
9. ↑ note
10. ^ VCÖ: In the previous year, more passengers on Austria's regional trains , accessed on August 29, 2016
11. ↑ Kleine Zeitung, May 4, 2017 , accessed on August 25, 2017
12. ↑ RMP Südoststeiermark short report (page 16). Retrieved June 13, 2019 . 
13. ↑ RMP Südoststeiermark final report (page 79). Retrieved June 13, 2019 . 
14. ↑ Content text online.

Remarks

1. ↑ Back in November 1872 of two similar, if not identical projects reported, one of which, normalspurig, from the company of the Graz-Köflach Railway was the kk Ministry of Commerce submitted for Vorkonzession was (range: Furstenfeld DC Mountain Luttenberg in Styria ( Ljutomer ) - Polstrau station ( Središče ob Dravi )). - See: Railway News. (...) Graz-Köflacher Bahn. In:  Das Vaterland , No. 323/1872 (XIIIth year), November 24, 1872, p. 6 (unpaginated), top left. (Online at ANNO ). .

Web links

Commons : Feldbach – Bad Gleichenberg railway line  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• The local railway at the StB
• Photo galleries of the local railway Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg by Michael Heussler on zenfolio.com