Local railway Peggau – Übelbach
| Peggau – Ubelbach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Course book route (ÖBB) : | 540 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 10.247 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power system : | 15 kV 16.7 Hz ~ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 32 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius : | 180 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 60 km / h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country: | Austria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| State: | Styria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The local railway Peggau - Übelbach , sometimes also called Landesbahn Peggau - Übelbach or Übelbacherbahn , is a standard-gauge S-Bahn line in Styria .
Today the line is operated by the Steiermarkbahn (StB). It is electrified with 15 kV alternating current at 16.7 Hz, is operated in train control and is integrated into the Styrian transport association .
history
The development of the Übelbacher valley by rail should both facilitate the heavy goods traffic to the Guggenbach paper mill and make it easier to reach the Gleinalpe as an excursion destination.
The planning started on February 2nd, 1895 by Edmund Schiller. He received a pre-license for an electric local railway from Peggau via Deutschfeistritz, Waldstein and Übelbach to Kleintal. On December 20, 1915, Mr. Johann Edler von Fayrer and Dr. Viktor Baldauf granted the concession to build the railway line.
Because of the powder factories in the valley, electric traction was chosen and the Peggau power plant, which went into operation in 1908, was the energy supplier .
The railway line, which should originally have started from the Stübing southern railway station , was opened on September 3, 1919 by the local railway Peggau – Übelbach, founded in 1918 . However, the motor vehicle was considerably damaged in a collision with a steam train , so that electrical operation could not be resumed until May 1920. The operations management was in the hands of the Südbahngesellschaft .
On January 1, 1924, management was taken over by the BBÖ. On July 1st the management changed to the Styrian State Railway Authority. The dissolution of the stock corporation “Lokalbahn Peggau – Übelbach” and the transfer of all assets to the State of Styria took place on June 30, 1942.
The line was originally electrified with 2200 volts DC voltage, this was the highest DC voltage for railways in Europe at the time of construction and was only later exceeded by the 3000 V networks in several countries. When the Bruck an der Mur – Graz section of the southern railway was electrified in 1968 , the line to Übelbach was also converted to the AC voltage system of the ÖBB (15 kV 16⅔ Hz).
Around 1973 there were specific considerations to completely discontinue the Übelbacherbahn, as the first plans for the construction of the Pyhrnautobahn had been made. The route of the Übelbacherbahn should be used for the construction of the road. Finally, the planning was changed and the planned motorway junction was relocated so that the railway remained.
In the 1980s, the local train was supposed to be closed due to dwindling passenger numbers, but thanks to the FAHRGAST Graz / Styria association, new stops were built and the closure could thus be prevented. The train went afterwards with 40 percent more passengers.
The station building of the Übelbach station, erected in 1919, is a listed building ( entry ).
Since December 9, 2007, the line has been integrated into the S-Bahn in the greater Graz area as the S11 . With the S-Bahn, a significant improvement in the range of transport has occurred in terms of both quantity and quality. Between Übelbach and Graz, it has been possible to run direct trains without changing trains for the first time. On December 10, 2007, the S11 drove for the first time from Übelbach directly to Graz.
On the Peggau – Übelbach route, until December 14, 2009, there was no possibility of handling train crossings at the stops along the route without spending a great deal of time. In order to condense the timetable from December 2009, especially in the early morning traffic peak, a siding was built. The Waldstein stop, which is roughly in the middle of the route, was particularly suitable for this. The siding was completely relocated and now has a usable length of 91 meters. The newly designed central platform is 70 meters long and offers enough space for changing passengers. In the course of the construction work, the overhead line in the area of the stop was rebuilt and adapted to the new track position.
Accidents
The ET 12 was damaged in a collision with a tractor on May 4, 1994 and was then no longer in use. In November 1996 he was transferred to the Nostalgiebahn association in Carinthia .
On November 20, 1995, a truck from the Gaulhofer window factory in Guggenbach collided on ET 13. Due to the force of the impact, the driver's cab on the valley side was dented and the entire vehicle was compressed. Since the maintenance of the vehicle was difficult due to the lack of spare parts, it was decided to retire. In April 1997 he was transferred to the Czech Republic. The bogies were taken over by the Jura railways.
A serious accident occurred on May 6, 2015 at around 10:15 a.m. near the Waldstein intersection . The driver of train 8762 was killed in the head-on collision of trains 8787 (Peggau-Deutschfeistritz-Übelbach) and 8762 (Übelbach-Peggau-Deutschfeistritz). One traveler was critically injured and died in the hospital, eight other people, including two children, were injured. The two trains had been cleared to Waldstein by the dispatcher at Weiz station . There the train crossing should have been handled as follows: Train 8762 stopped in front of the trapezoidal board ; Entrance from train 8787; The signal »Coming« is given by train 8787; Entry of train 8762. Instead, train 8762 entered the station without stopping in front of the trapezoidal board, stopped for a passenger change and continued its journey. About 200 meters east of Waldstein there was a collision of the multiple units, which at the time of the collision had a speed of 38 and 33 km / h respectively. The scene of the accident is on a curved track that prevented mutual sight of each other. The permissible speed at this point is 50 km / h. The two Stadler GTW series 4062 were badly damaged in the accident . After the accident, various measures were implemented, including a. the equipping of the Waldstein station with 2000 Hz magnets and video surveillance as well as various visual highlighting of train crossings in the documents of the train staff. In the course of the investigation, near collisions were mentioned several times in the past, which were not reported to the authorities.
Vehicle use
A four-axle Te 1 multiple unit was procured for the start of operations, but shortly before the planned opening it had an accident with a construction locomotive, so that the opening could only take place after the repair. Steam locomotives from the Südbahn were rented for freight transport. In 1928 an almost identical Te 2 was added. These vehicles remained the only traction vehicles until the conversion.
After the changeover to AC voltage (1968), two former ÖBB class 4042 railcars (originally BBÖ ET 11 , for the StLB ET 11 and 12) and a used railcar of the Swiss Southeast Railway (ET 13) were used.
From 1994/1996 to 2011, two multiple units ( ET 14 and ET 15 ) taken over from the SZU (Sihltal – Zürich – Uetliberg) were available for passenger transport . Strangely enough, the old route plans were in the car right up to the end; only one set was repainted to match the STLB color scheme.
From 2007 a type 4023 multiple unit rented by ÖBB was used, which also enabled direct connections from Übelbach to Graz.
In 2009 three new electric multiple units of the 4062 series (type Stadler GTW 2/6) were ordered and put into operation in 2011. Since the former SZU railcars were no longer operational, but the new railcars were not yet registered, there were various interim solutions in the course of 2011 with railcars from the Montafonerbahn and Linz Local Railway . Some trains run from Übelbach via Peggau to Graz , these were operated with a railcar of the ÖBB series 4024 until November 2011 because the GTW was not approved for the ÖBB route . The railcars are also on behalf of the ÖBB for the Regional Express - pair of trains 1990/1997 Graz main station - Frohnleiten - Leoben Hbf - Frohnleiten - Graz main station used.
Since mid-2012, almost exclusively the new 4062 have been on the Peggau – Übelbach route. The sets have low-floor entrances, air-conditioned passenger areas and facilities for the disabled. In addition, there are sockets for cell phones and laptops as well as stop request buttons on all seats. There are 97 seats per train in the bright passenger areas with large windows. The 4062 001 and 4062 002, seriously damaged in an accident on May 6, 2015, were initially stored in the Übelbach depot, then transferred to Stadler Rail for repairs in September / October 2015 .
The freight sidings on the route are served by diesel locomotives or the ET 15, which has been refurbished since November 2011.
literature
- B (ernardus) C (ornelius) van Nes: The electrical local railway Peggau – Übelbach. 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 Electrotechnical Association of Austria , year 1920, issue 42/1920, October 17, 1920 (XXXVIIIth year), pp. 489–494. (Online at ANNO ). .
- Helmut Wittmann (Red.): The book of the Übelbacherbahn . Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (STLB), Graz 1994, ISBN 3-901474-03-X .
- Hans Waldburger: The ET 13 of the Styrian state railways . In: Eisenbahn 2/1998 . Minirex AG, Lucerne 1998.
- Sepp Tezak , Othmar Bamer (photo): Steiermärkische Landesbahnen . Volume 1: This volume covers the Gleisdorf - Weiz, Peggau - Deutschfeistritz - Übelbach and Feldbach - Bad Gleichenberg routes. Bahn im Bild, Volume 29, ZDB -ID 52827-4 . Pospischil, Vienna 1996.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rail network conditions of use for the Steiermärkische Landesbahnen and the local railway Mixnitz - St. Erhard AG
- ↑ Opening of the railway. In: Wiener Zeitung , Wiener Abendpost , No. 201/1919, September 3, 1919, p. 4, bottom left. (Online at ANNO ). .
- ^ Van Nes: The electric local railway Peggau – Übelbach , p. 494.
- ^ Van Nes: The electric local train Peggau – Übelbach , p. 489.
- ↑ Marktgemeinde Übelbach (Ed.): 90 years of the Übelbacher Bahn. 1919-2009 . In: uebelbach.gv.at , November 10, 2009, accessed on February 12, 2013.
- ↑ Kleine Zeitung of May 8, 2015: Train accident north of Graz claimed a second fatality (accessed on May 8, 2015)
- ↑ ORF Steiermark on May 6, 2015: Two passenger trains collided - engine drivers killed (accessed on May 6, 2015)
- ↑ Kleine Zeitung of May 5, 2015: A dead train driver after a train collision near Graz (accessed on May 6, 2015)
- ↑ Courier from May 6, 2015: Engine driver died in a head-on collision between two trains (accessed on May 6, 2015)
- ^ Investigation report - collision Z 8762 and Z 8787 next to Vstu Waldstein (StLB). Federal Transport Authority , June 16, 2016, accessed on July 13, 2016 .
- ↑ The Übelbacherbahn on alpenbahnen.net (with pictures of the older railcars)
- ^ Austrian Railways 11/2015, page 562
- ↑ StLB ET 15 in use again , Drehscheibe Online, November 19, 2011