Vinschgau Railway

Meran – Malles
A Stadler GTW in the Mals terminus
Course book series (IT) :	418
Route length:	60.078 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	29  ‰
Minimum radius :	200 m
Top speed:	100 km / h
Legend from Bolzano 31,482 Meran / Merano 302  m slm 33.010 Algund / Lagundo 324  m slm 33,432 MeBo 33,460 Etsch (38.6 m) 35.040 Marling / Marlengo 369  m slm 35.792 Spiral tunnel Marling / Galleria elicoidale Marlengo (598 m) 39.008 Josefsberg Tunnel / Galleria Monte Giuseppe (579 m) 39.650 Gallery / Paravalanga (80 m) 40.087 Töll Tunnel / Galleria Tel (684 m) 41.365 Töll Bridge / Tel Ponte († Dec. 2012) 509  m slm 41.894 Töll / Tel 509  m slm 42.120 Töll siding 43.124 Rabland / Rablà 45,490 Plausibility 48.747 Naturno / Naturno 533  m slm 51.266 Staben / Stava (formerly Schnalstal / Senales) 553  m slm 51.771 Staben / Stava († Oct. 2019) 553  m slm 54.020 Tschars / Ciardes 57,599 Kastelbell / Castelbello 586  m slm 60.724 Laces / Laces 632  m slm 63.811 Goldrain - Martell / Coldrano-Martello 661  m slm 68.560 Göflaner Bridge / Ponte Govelano (104 m) 68.867 artificial GEOS tunnel / Galleria artificiale GEOS (142 m) 69.250 Schlanders / Silandro 744  m slm 76,424 Laas / Lasa Laas marble path 866  m slm 80,470 Eyrs / Oris 875  m slm 83,323 Spondinig / Spondigna 885  m slm 87,603 Schluderns -Glurns / Sluderno-Glorenza 919  m slm Tartsch siding 91,304 Mals / Malles Venosta 997  m slm 91.558 Times end of the route 997  m slm formerly planned Reschenbahn 1504  m above sea level A. Arlbergbahn from Bludenz Landeck 776  m above sea level A. Arlbergbahn to Innsbruck Hbf

The Vinschgau Railway (also Vinschger Bahn , Italian Ferrovia della Val Venosta ) is a standard-gauge branch line in South Tyrol ( Italy ) that is around 60 kilometers long and was opened on July 1, 1906. It runs through the Vinschgau along the Adige from Meran to Mals . It was originally built and operated by the private railway company Actiengesellschaft "Vinschgaubahn" . It was initially planned as part of a transalpine route over the Reschen Pass , the northern sections of which, however, were never completed. After the First World War , the Italian state railways took over the route. After it was closed in 1990 and reopened in 2005, it is currently operated by SAD Nahverkehr as a railway company and by the South Tyrolean Transport Structures (STA) as a railway infrastructure company.

history

The Vinschgau Railway was licensed on July 7, 1903 as a state-guaranteed standard gauge Austrian private local railway . The construction management of the line, which the existing since 1881 railway line Bolzano-Merano joined, was Konstantin Ritter von Chabert betrayed. On July 1, 1906, the Vinschgau Railway was inaugurated at the same time as the new Merano station . The company was run by the Austrian State Railways .

Share of the Vinschgau Railway from 1903

Originally, it was planned to continue the railway line as the Reschenbahn over the Reschenpass into the Inn Valley and on to Landeck station on the Arlbergbahn . However, it was already recognized at that time that an economical freight transport company would never have paid off, as the tariff kilometers from Bozen to Landeck exactly matched those of the Brenner Railway. Thus, there would have been no advantage, since the distances and the costs would have been identical and therefore no competition would have arisen. Only a closer connection between the spa town of Merano and Landeck would have been advantageous - but also the interest of the military in the Landeck – Pfunds – Mals connection as a military railway (still at the end of 1917). The division of Tyrol after the First World War prevented the realization of this project, even if a few construction activities in the Landeck area had already been carried out (such as the construction of a tunnel). A link with the Rhaetian Railway was to be realized with the furnace mountain railway project in Mals and with an extension of the Lower Engadine line, which opened in 1913, from Scuol-Tarasp station via Martina to Nauders or Pfunds . During the First World War, this connection would have become more important, as Tyrol could only be reached by the Brenner Railway . The construction work on this did not begin until the spring of 1918, but only parts of the substructure of the line had been completed by the end of the war .

After the First World War, which Austria-Hungary lost, South Tyrol was occupied by Italy in November 1918 and annexed in 1920 on the basis of the Treaty of St. Germain . The operation was therefore taken over from 1918 by the Italian state railways Ferrovie dello Stato (FS). During the next 60 years, the FS invested little in the infrastructure of the railway, even if a pentagon was built in Mals , which was used specifically to turn steam locomotives with tender . Rumors of a shutdown have been raised again and again, and this topic has been up for debate since 1961. Nonetheless, in 1985 tunnels were secured and the route renewed on individual sections, for example between Tschars and Kastelbell . On the other hand, the original equipment from 1905 was still used on large parts of the route. The electrification of the Bolzano – Meran line in 1934 made the Vinschgau Railway an expensive island operation . The freight had to relocate to the streets since the decision of the Passo fruit cooperatives, fruit transport, hardly played a role. The railway showed an increasing operating deficit. The Italian state railways were determined to streamline their structures and reduce deficit infrastructures, especially in the periphery. In 1987 the Vinschgau Railway was classified as a ramo secco "arid branch" and planned for complete closure.

Tickets for the Vinschgau Railway during FS times. Left to right: 1977, 1980, 1982 and 1985

Wendestern in Mals, 1986

This time was marked by the disinterest of the Italian state railways in the line: At the end of the 1980s, in the summer months (which were heavily frequented by tourists), the railroad was replaced by buses that were specially hired from Lombardy , this was justified by granting holidays for the staff or with the implementation of tunnel safety work. In the last few years under the state railways, the timetable consisted of only three pairs of trains every working day. The last scheduled train ran on June 9, 1990.

Regional buses of the South Tyrolean automobile service SAD took over the passenger transport . The dissatisfaction of the local population, but also of the tourists with the increase in road traffic in Vinschgau, never completely silenced the voices calling for the railway to be restarted.

On the banks of the Adige near Naturns

In 1999 the railway became the property of the Province of South Tyrol, and between 2000 and 2004 it was completely renovated under the leadership of the South Tyrolean Transport Structures (STA) on behalf of the Province. Although the entire length of the track's superstructure had to be renewed, it turned out to be advantageous that the track system had not been removed in previous years. On the one hand, no land had yet been used for other uses such as road construction, on the other hand, the railway had never completely disappeared from the consciousness of the population. In addition, the historic train station and bus stops have been restored true to the original and, where necessary, supplemented by new structures in a uniform, modern design. The turning star in the Mals train station was also preserved . B. enables tender locomotives. Bicycle rental stations have been set up at several stations along the line . After the construction work was completed, the line was able to resume scheduled operation on May 5, 2005.

The original forecasts for the development of the number of passengers were exceeded by far after a short time. At peak times and in the tourist season, the railway soon reached its capacity limit.

Accident on April 12, 2010 caused by a mudslide

On April 12, 2010 , a serious accident occurred on the section between Latsch and Kastelbell , which is located in a gorge called Latschander . An approximately 15 meters wide and 30 meters high Mure recorded at 9:02 AM the regional R108 which of times in the direction of Merano was traveling. The mud and debris tore the front segment of the articulated multiple unit ATR 100-007 out of the rails, whereupon the entire vehicle derailed . Only a few trees on the river bank prevented the railcar from crashing into the Adige . A train going in the opposite direction had passed the spot just a few minutes earlier without any problems. The accident was triggered by a defective valve on the irrigation system in an orchard above the site of the accident. As a result, large amounts of water penetrated the slope, which finally set it in motion. Nine people were killed in the accident; all 28 other people who were on the train were injured, seven of them seriously. This was the worst railway accident in the history of South Tyrol. On June 2, 2010, the railway resumed regular operation. Between Kastelbell and Latsch, a memorial stone on the opposite bank of the Adige reminds of the accident.

With the timetable change in December 2012, the Töll Brücke stop was closed and the old Töll station reopened, which until then had only served as a crossing point. The road closure that was necessary during the necessary construction work was also used to lower the bottom of the Töll tunnel in order to make it free of profile for electrification. Two siding for maintenance vehicles were also built a few hundred meters southwest of Töll station.

In April 2014, the South Tyrolean Provincial Councilor Florian Mussner declared that with around 2 million passengers annually, especially during rush hour and during the tourist season, the maximum capacity of the diesel train sets had been reached, and therefore classified an early electrification of the Vinschgau Railway as a priority. The South Tyrolean provincial government therefore decided on December 16, 2014 to electrify the railway line in the next few years. Electrification will increase capacity to up to 276 seats per train, reduce the timetable to a continuous half-hourly cycle and efficiently connect trains between Malles and Bolzano . 25 kV AC voltage with a frequency of 50 Hz was selected as the traction current system , which is why the Stadler Flirt, which is already operating on other routes in South Tyrol, has been technically upgraded for future operation . It was also decided to install ETCS Level 2 as the train control system and GSM-R as the data and communication system.

In the course of the work that began in 2016, which made line closures necessary at times, all stations that were not yet adequately equipped were initially given platforms extended to 125 meters and - where necessary - underpasses . In 2018 the spiral tunnel in Marling was lowered. In 2019, the route between Lasa and Schlanders was straightened and the Staben stop was closed, in the place of which the old Schnalstal station, which was recently only used as a crossing point, was reopened with the new name Staben station. Major renovation work also began in 2019 at the Mals terminus, which included, in particular, adjustments to the platforms, the remise and the Tartsch siding, which were completed in 2020.

The electrification is scheduled to be implemented by 2022.

business

Malles station with diesel multiple units of the ALn 668 series , 1986

Mals train station was designed as a transfer point to the regional bus routes

From 1906 to 1919 after the First World War, the line was operated by the former kk State Railways (kkStB) and then until 1990 by the Italian State Railways (FS) . Because the line was not electrified, Littorine was often used here in the 20th century, unlike on the Bozen-Meran railway .

The passenger is after rehabilitation under management of the SAD transport AG and the SBA (South Tyrol railway systems GmbH, a subsidiary of STA been recorded) on 5 May 2005., while eight are low-floor - rail cars with diesel drive of the type Stadler GTW used. The operating concept was drawn up by the Willi Hüsler engineering office, Zurich. The reintroduction of freight traffic is not planned for the time being.

From the opening, the train ran every hour with initially unchanged bus timetables in Vinschgau. During this phase, known as the trial operation, the aim was to gain experience in operation and identify any potential for improvement. Since autumn 2005 there have also been express trains that only stop in the larger towns to / from Kastelbell . This means that every half hour is reached during rush hour. With the timetable change in December 2012, all regional express connections on Sundays and public holidays were canceled. In the meantime these trains are back. In the winter months with less traffic, however, these only run on weekdays. In mid-December 2006, some trains were tied through to Bolzano for the first time, which was a great advantage, especially for commuters . However, they were canceled with the 2010/2011 timetable.

The trains are often overloaded, especially in the summer months. There is often insufficient capacity for the highly demanded transport of bicycles on the train, so that some cyclists cannot be taken along at the stations on the way. A combined train and bike ticket, which has been available in the form of the Eventcard in recent years, will be available again in a modified form under the name "bikemobil Card" from April 2014. The "bikemobil Card" is a combined ticket for the use of bus, train and rental bike, valid for the first time in the whole of South Tyrol and as far as Tschierv (CH). It is available as a day ticket, 3-day ticket and 7-day ticket. However, in contrast to the earlier “Eventcard”, the (rental) bike may not be transported in buses or trains. In addition, from May to October bicycle transport by truck is organized six times a day.

vehicles

A railcar leaves Mals in the direction of Merano

Twelve diesel-electric railcars Stadler GTW 2/6, designated as ATR 100-001 to 012, the individual elements as ATR 101, 102 and 103. The railcar ATR 100-007 that crashed on April 12, 2010 has been decommissioned. It was parked at the Schnalstal train station for a long time and has now been transferred to the Merano train station. On April 26 and May 16, 2013, the middle drive parts of the ATR 100-006 and ATR 100-005 railcars caught fire and had to be extinguished by the local volunteer fire services. Both trains were out of service for a few months. As a result, three units were temporarily missing, so that some circuits cannot be driven in double traction as planned.

The last surviving steam locomotive on this railway line, FS 899.006 (ex kkStB 294.09 formerly Bozen-Meraner Bahn 2 MERAN ), built in 1882, was erected as a memorial in Turin for some time , but is now in the National Railway Museum in the Pietrarsa district of the municipality of San Giorgio a Cremano near Naples and has been accessible again since December 2007.

future plans

In 2010, as part of an EU- funded Interreg project, three studies were commissioned to examine a rail link between the Vinschgau and the Swiss canton of Graubünden . The possibility of continuing the Vinschgau Railway from Mals to the Rhaetian Railway in the Lower Engadine was up for debate, as had already been planned with the Ofenberg Railway . The project was supposed to close a gap in the European railway network and better connect two important economic and cultural areas, the Swiss plateau with northern Italy and Graubünden with South Tyrol. At a conference in 2013, various possible routes were presented as a result of the studies; the necessary investment sums were put at around one billion euros, depending on the route chosen. A possible link with Swiss rail traffic finds broad support in South Tyrolean politics; In 2015, Governor Arno Kompatscher explored possibilities for co-financing by the EU with Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker .

A new edition of the Reschenbahn to the Austrian North Tyrol , specifically as a connection to Landeck and the Arlbergbahn , was also discussed . In 2015, the South Tyrolean state parliament unanimously called on the state government to "get in touch with the state of Tyrol and the canton of Graubünden in order to explore the possibilities of implementing the rail connection from Mals to Landeck."

Another project discussed is a route under the Stilfser Joch through to Bormio in Lombardy and possibly further to Ferrovia Alta Valtellina . On December 4, 2017, a preliminary study (including geological , hydrological , geomorphological and seismic tests) for a connection to Bormio was presented in Mals . Depending on the route, the planned route would be 33 to 35 kilometers long, of which 18 to 33 kilometers ran in tunnels . The estimated construction time would be between seven and ten years, depending on the option chosen, and the construction costs would amount to 1.1–1.3 billion euros. In the basic version, according to the preliminary study, only one new station would be created in Bormio. Other planning options include further stations in Taufers and Müstair in Switzerland.

gallery

• 

  Mals station in the time of standstill

• 

  Spiral tunnel at Marling in the years of standstill

• 

  Condition of the Remise in Merano station during the shutdown of the Vinschger Railway

• 

  Goldrain train station

• 

  Spondinig train station

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  Viaduct and tunnel between Marling and Töll with a view of Algund-Plars from the Marlinger Waalweg

literature

• W (ilhelm) v (on) Walther: The Vinschgaubahn. In: Communications of the German and Austrian Alpine Club , born in 1906, (Volume XXXII), p. 257 f. (Online at ALO ).
• Oskar Friedrich Luchner:  Features. From Merano to Malles. A ride on the Vinschgau Railway. In:  Innsbrucker Nachrichten , No. 153/1906, July 7, 1906, pp. 1-4. (Online at ANNO ). .
• Two new Austrian traffic arteries. (...) The Vintschgaubahn (six images). In:  Österreichs Illustrierte Zeitung , No. 43/1906, July 22, 1906, pp. 979–982. (Online at ANNO ).
• Günter Denoth: ... the future moves! The Vinschgerbahn Merano - Mals (...) on the occasion of the restart of the Vinschgerbahn Merano - Malles on May 5th, 2005 . Special publications on railway technology, volume 3. Self-published by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Eisenbahnarchiv Tirol, Neugötzens / Innsbruck 2005, OBV .
• Vinschgerbahn reopened after 14 years . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International , issue 6/2005, ISSN  1421-2811 , pp. 265–267.
• Andreas Gottlieb Hempel: Vinschgau in one go - by train through western South Tyrol - hiking, cycling, experiencing culture . Folio-Verlag, Vienna / Bozen 2006, ISBN 978-3-85256-335-0 . - Content text online .
• Werner Duschk, Walter Pramstaller (among others): Local and trams in old Tyrol , self-published by Tiroler Museumsbahnen , Innsbruck 2008. 
• Peter Hilpold: The reactivation of the Vinschgerbahn. A geographic traffic analysis of the Merano – Mals branch line, which was reopened in 2005 (Italy / South Tyrol) . VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, Saarbrücken 2008, (134 pages), ISBN 978-3-639-03091-4 .
• Populorum, Michael Alexander: The Vinschgaubahn. With the train from Merano through the Vinschgau to the Malser Heide . Series of publications by the Documentation Center for European Railway Research (DEEF), Volume 20, 2nd edition 2016 on DVD, ISBN 978-3-903132-03-0 . Mercurius Verlag Grödig / Salzburg. Railway Research Austria
• The future under power , in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung , July 15, 2018

Web links

Official websites

• Homepage of the South Tyrolean Transport Structures AG (STA)
• STA homepage for the Vinschger Railway
• Homepage of SAD Nahverkehr AG
• Current display of the position of the railcars

Other web links

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

• Sunday traffic on the Vinschgau Railway. In:  Innsbrucker Nachrichten , No. 155/1906, July 10, 1906, p. 4, bottom right. (Online at ANNO ).
• Tyrolean Museum Railways
• The Vinschgau Railway from Merano to Mals - a modern Tyrolean success story , documentation center for European railway research

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} RGBl. 1903/142. In:  Reichsgesetzblatt for the kingdoms and states represented in the Reichsrath , year 1903, pp. 461–466. (Online at ANNO ). as well as RGBl. 1907/119. In:  Reichsgesetzblatt for the kingdoms and countries represented in the Reichsrath , year 1907, p. 470. (Online at ANNO ). .
2. ↑ The opening of the Vinschgau Railway. In:  Innsbrucker Nachrichten , No. 148/1906, July 2, 1906, p. 5 f. (Online at ANNO ). ,
   For the opening of the Vinschgau Railway. In:  Innsbrucker Nachrichten , No. 149/1906, July 3, 1906, p. 6 f. (Online at ANNO ). .
3. ^ The railway minister on Tyrolean railway issues. In:  Innsbrucker Nachrichten , No. 148/1906, July 2, 1906, p. 8 middle. (Online at ANNO ). ,
   How to build cars and not build. In:  Arbeiter-Zeitung , Morgenblatt, No. 154/1922 (XXXIV. Year), June 7, 1922, p. 3, center left. (Online at ANNO ). .
4. ^ Railway construction news. For the construction of the Vinschgau Railway. In:  Der Bauinteressent , year 1918, No. 14/1918 (XXXV. Year), p. 109 f. (Online at ANNO ). .
5. ↑ M (artin) Tiepner: Unexecuted Grisons rail projects . In: Railway amateur . Issues 2/82 and 7/82, ISSN  0013-2764 . SVEA, Thun.
6. ^ Andreas Knipping: Railways in the First World War , EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2004, ISBN 3-88255-691-9 , p. 112
7. ↑ Railway country South Tyrol - Italian love for trains. suedtirol.info, March 20, 2008, archived from the original on May 25, 2015 ; Retrieved May 25, 2015 . 
8. ↑ Two million passengers a year: the new Vinschgerbahn is nine years old. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, April 30, 2014, accessed on May 16, 2014 . 
9. ↑ Sueddeutsche.de: Dead in train accident in South Tyrol: landslide after a burst water pipe ( Memento from April 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) . April 12, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
10. ↑ Südtirol online: Chronology of Misfortune - Video ( Memento from April 15, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
11. ↑ Südtirol online: Second simulation on Latschander: Water sets slope in motion ( Memento from April 25, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
12. ↑ South Tyrol online: Vinschger Bahn runs the entire route again . May 31, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
13. ↑ Two million passengers a year: the new Vinschgerbahn is nine years old. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, April 30, 2014, accessed on May 16, 2014 . 
14. ↑ The Friends of the Railroad did it. Der Vinschger, February 4, 2015, accessed on February 5, 2015 . 
15. ↑ Vinschger Bahn is electrified: Quieter, greener, denser timetable. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, December 16, 2014, accessed on December 18, 2014 . 
16. ^ DVV Media Group GmbH: Südtirol / Vinschger Bahn: Government provides funds for electrification. Retrieved July 14, 2016 . 
17. ↑ New technical standards for the Vinschger Bahn. South Tyrolean Transport Structures , April 19, 2016, accessed on February 13, 2018 . 
18. ^ Josef Laner: Mals train station is being adapted. In: the Vinschger. June 21, 2019, accessed on August 10, 2020 (also published in issue 21/2019). 
19. ↑ stol.it: Vinschgerbahn Separate bicycle transport from May 3 ( Memento from May 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
20. ↑ Südtirol Online: Fire alarm again in Vinschger Zug ( memento from June 8, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) and fire in Vinschger Zug ( memento from May 20, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
21. ↑ Engadin-Vinschgau Railway. Construction, Transport and Forestry Department of Graubünden, accessed on May 16, 2014 . 
22. ^ Rhaetian Railway meets Vinschger Railway. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, June 12, 2013, accessed on May 16, 2014 . 
23. ↑ Kompatscher at Juncker: many topics and an invitation to South Tyrol. Südtirol Online , September 18, 2015, archived from the original on December 22, 2015 ; accessed on December 16, 2015 . 
24. ↑ Reschenbahn entered the South Tyrolean parliament. Tiroler Tageszeitung , September 25, 2015, accessed on March 8, 2020 . 
25. ↑ Upgrading of the Stelvio Pass: Agreement minutes signed. Press service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano - South Tyrol, July 27, 2015, accessed on December 18, 2014 . 
26. ↑ Marco Chiandoni: Italy plans new Alpine rail link . ( railjournal.com [accessed December 11, 2017]).
27. ^ Tyrolean Museum Railways - Literature . In: www.tmb.at , accessed on August 1, 2013.

Coordinates: 46 ° 37 '  N , 10 ° 52'  E