Zillertal Railway

Jenbach-Mayrhofen
Modern push-pull train at Jenbach station
Course book route (ÖBB) :	310
Route length:	31.7 km
Gauge :	760 mm ( Bosnian gauge )
Top speed:	70 km / h
Dual track :	Kaltenbach – Aschau Zell am Ziller – Ramsau-Hippach
Legend 0.000 Jenbach (crossing from Unterinntalbahn ) 530 m ~ 1,500 Inn 1.965 Redwood 529 m 3,470 Straß in the Zillertal 525 m 6.440 Schlitters -Bruck am Ziller 535 m 6,956 Kolbitsch connecting railway ( Awanst ) 8,200 Gagering 530 m 10.247 Fügen - Hart in the Zillertal 537 m 10.675 Connection railway Binderholz GmbH (Awanst) 11.693 Kapfing in the Zillertal 542 m 12,528 Uderns in the Zillertal 544 m 15.266 Ried in the Zillertal 550 m 16.506 Kaltenbach - Stumm in the Zillertal 554 m 19,000 Angererbach-Ahrnbach 20,330 Aschau in the Zillertal 564 m 22,400 Erlach in the Zillertal 568 m 23,000 Ziller Bridge (50 m) 24,400 Zell am Ziller 560 m 25,600 Laimach - Regional Museum Zillertal 27.605 Ramsau im Zillertal - Hippach 589 m 28.750 Bichl in the Zillertal 609 m 28,900 Connecting railway company Kober (Awanst) ~ 31,500 Connecting line Tauernkraftwerke AG (Awanst) 31,700 Mayrhofen in the Zillertal 32,450 Mayrhofen Markt-Penkenbahn (planned) 32.963 Mayrhofen Ahornbahn (planned)

Coordinates: 47 ° 13 '52.9 "  N , 11 ° 52' 52.9"  E

The Zillertalbahn is a narrow-gauge railway with the Bosnian gauge of 760 mm and runs through the Zillertal in Tyrol from Jenbach to Mayrhofen . The owner and operator of the route is Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG - formerly Zillertalbahn AG - based in Jenbach. The local communities along the route are primarily involved in the company. In addition to the railways, the company also operates several bus routes in the region.

history

Locomotive 2 (series U) with a tourist train in the 1970s

Zillertalbahn opening train July 21, 1901 Jenbach-Zell / Ziller

Multiple unit VT 1 in Jenbach, 1980

Diesel locomotive D8 with passenger train in Zell am Ziller (1979)

Diesel locomotive D10 with passenger train in Mayrhofen

prehistory

Since the end of the 1860s, due to the poor traffic conditions in the Zillertal, the press repeatedly asked for a railway line to be built. The existing road was difficult to drive, for example it ran through swamps. Travelers to Mayrhofen also had to plan an overnight stay in Zell am Ziller . But in 1892, the community leaders were united and founded a so-called Rail Committee , which three years later finally decided to railway construction. Several projects were considered, from Brixlegg along the right bank of the Ziller , today's route and a connection to the Pinzgauer local railway over the Gerlos . The question of whether the standard gauge or the smaller Bosnian gauge (760 mm) should be used was also considered. Cost reasons and military considerations tipped the balance in favor of the narrow-gauge variant. The stock corporation was chosen as the type of company to procure the share capital . In July 1898, the required share capital of 150,000 guilders or 300,000 kroner , today around 1.2 million euros, was finally reached. In order to obtain the necessary state license, a member of the state parliament, a hotelier and a doctor, all respected citizens, were appointed as applicants. The license was granted on December 2nd, 1895 by the Imperial and Royal Railway Minister Heinrich von Wittek , and on December 26th, 1899, the Zillerthalbahn Actiengesellschaft was founded.

Construction and commissioning

Construction began in 1900. The line was put into operation in four stages. The last section from Zell am Ziller to Mayrhofen, the construction of which was delayed for financial reasons, was opened on July 31, 1902.

As an initial equipment, the company had two steam locomotives of the U series , 10 passenger cars and 22 freight cars .

Further development

Better financial backing, the web received from 1927 to 1976 by the magnesite - mine in Vorderlanersbach . The first railcar with a combustion engine was procured as early as the 1920s. In the mid-1960s, however, the Zillertalbahn was to be discontinued in favor of the expansion of the Zillertalstrasse . For the construction of the storage power plant in Mayrhofen (construction period 1965 to 1971), the railway was able to secure its continued existence as a means of transport for building material (325,000 tons of cement) and equipment. For this transport task , trolleys and two more diesel locomotives for the freight trains were purchased. In addition, the line in Mayrhofen was extended by a siding to the power plant construction site during the construction of the power plant. The tracks and vehicles have been fundamentally renewed since 1980. The new, reinforced Inn Bridge near Rotholz has been in operation since 2003 . In 2007, the partially double-track expansion of the Zillertal Railway began. The Laimach Regional Museum stop has been in service since August 1, 2011.

Current state

Today, the route mainly serves local traffic , tourist traffic and goods traffic (wood transport) to and from the wood processing company Binderholz GmbH in Fügen in the Zillertal. However, freight traffic was reduced to virtually zero in 2013, as Binderholz switched to truck traffic. The trolleys are therefore stacked in Jenbach until they are used again. If necessary, a freight train runs between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. for the removal of wood products (sawn timber).

Expansion planning

In the years 2011 to 2013 there were considerations to extend the Zillertalbahn along the Ziller to the valley station of the Ahornbahn with a connection to the Penkenbahn . However, the route and financing remained unclear, so this project has not yet been implemented.

In 2019, the re-routing of the route to connect the Karspitzbahn ( Zillertal Arena ) is planned. From the Aschau train station, a new 3.6 km track line is to be built along the Ziller to the new Rohrberg station on the Karspitzbahn and on to the existing line behind the listed railway bridge in Zell. On the new railway line, which also includes a siding, the maximum speed should be 80 km / h. For this purpose, the train in the center of Zell is to run for around one kilometer, similar to the Stubaitalbahn in Innsbruck, as a tram with 20 km / h instead of the previous 40 km / h.

Electrification via fuel cells

On December 1, 2015, the state government decided on a modernization concept for the future of the Zillertalbahn 2020+ with the electrification of the railway in order to reduce the travel time in regular operation from 55 to 45 minutes. However , there was resistance from tourist circles to the construction of the overhead line . At the same time there were considerations to generate the electricity in the train from hydrogen using fuel cells . Night-time electricity from hydropower plants for the production of hydrogen is very inexpensive in Tyrol, but it is difficult to install the heavy batteries for storing energy in the vehicles of the Zillertal Railway with a track width of only 760 mm . For these reasons, the supervisory board of the Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe decided on December 15, 2017 to switch the railway to hydrogen operation. Accumulators are used as buffers to store the energy generated during braking and to increase the acceleration performance.

In February 2018, the decision was announced that the locomotives should be converted from diesel to hydrogen drive. On March 6, 2018, the development and delivery of five with an option for three more hydrogen multiple units was tendered across Europe and Stadler Rail was awarded the contract in May 2018 . In 2020, the first set will be the world's first narrow-gauge hydrogen train in trial operation. Together with the other four multiple units, rail operations with hydrogen are to commence from the timetable year 2023. The trains with speeds of 80 km / h allow the travel time to be reduced to 45 minutes or, for express trains, to 36 minutes. H2Zillertal was designed as a project name or brand . The required hydrogen is to be produced by Verbund AG through electrolysis with electricity from the hydropower plants in the Zillertal . The cost of this infrastructure is estimated at 15 million euros.

The decision to equip the trains with hydrogen fuel led to controversy. The opinions of the engineers at the vehicle supplier Stadler are also divided. Some favor hydrogen propulsion, others prefer accumulators. From a purely economic point of view, operation with overhead lines would be the cheapest.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the realization of the project will be delayed. The tourism associations still have to vote on the increase in the tourist tax and thus the partial financing of the project.

Special feature: road through train station

In 2014 the Kaltenbach-Stumm station was redesigned. Since then, the station has had the peculiarity that the state road runs between the station building and the tracks. The passengers have to cross this via a zebra crossing to get to the platform.

Track in the middle of the platform

Another specialty in Kaltenbach is that between the two main tracks, a third track runs over the middle of the central platform.

The two tracks to the left and right of the platform are sufficient for daily operation. But depending on the schedule, there were always difficulties when the historic steam train had to cross at the same time with the normal trains, especially when the two normal trains also came towards each other.

The third track in the middle of the platform means that less space is required. The intersection stop with three trains only occurred once a day during the steam season. So two trains could cross at the same time and the steam train could wait until the crossing was completed. Shortly afterwards the steam train was able to continue its journey.

Incidents

On September 27, 2017 at 10:32 a.m., a passenger train derailed at a switch at Schlitters , where a railcar overturned and the track was damaged. 4 of 31 passengers were slightly injured. The traffic could quickly be resumed on the second track.

Ownership

At the Zillertal transport company AG 60.8% various Tyrolean include municipalities, 4.9% of the Republic of Austria (the Ministry of Transport assumed), the rest is free float.

traffic

Jenbach connection station

Play media file

The Zillertal Railway in the train station of Zell am Ziller (2007)

Former freight transport with trolleys in Fügen (2007)

At Jenbach station , the Zillertalbahn meets the Unterinntalbahn , which runs as a standard gauge railway from Kufstein to Innsbruck . Also in Jenbach it has a connection to the Achenseebahn , a meter-gauge rack railway . Jenbach is the only place in Austria that has three different gauges.

Operation / traffic management

With the timetable change in December 2008, a number of two-lane sections were put into operation, between Kaltenbach and Aschau and between Zell am Ziller and Ramsau-Hippach. The trains run every 30 minutes throughout the day. With the timetable change in December 2010, an alternating cycle was introduced, with which the travel time is reduced by up to nine minutes for every second journey. In Rotholz, crossings are now only made on every second trip.

vehicles

Railcar set in Zell am Ziller station (2002)

Multiple unit with low-floor intermediate car on the double-track section near Ramsau-Hippach

The long-term loan of the VT1 from the Pinzgau Railway has been in use since the beginning of 2013

In addition to a fleet of modern diesel locomotives and railcars , the Zillertalbahn has several operational steam locomotives with which “steam strolling trains” are run as a supplementary tourist offer.

A special feature was the diesel-electric multiple unit VT1 , which was used regularly from 1970 to 1997 and then only on a temporary basis until 1999. The train was built in Rotterdam from 1961 to 1963 for the Cape-gauge overland network from two meter-gauge overhead line trams of the DB class ET 195 , to which a newly built generator car had been added to power the two railcars. In February 1966, operations were stopped and the multiple unit was re-gauged after being sold to the Zillertal Railway. After being taken out of service at the ZB, it was brought back to the Netherlands and has been running there since 2002 with the RTM museum railway in Ouddorp .

The multiple units VT 3–8 were procured together with control and intermediate cars in the 1980s and 1990s and initiated the fundamental modernization of the Zillertalbahn:

• 1984 VT 3–4, VS 3–4, B4 32–35, BD4 42 (after renovation 2000/03 B4 32–33 and BD4 40–42)
• 1995 VT 5-6, installation of the remote control in D 10 (1970/82 ex JZ)
• 1998 VT 7-8

This generation of vehicles was modernized from 2005, they were painted in the new design and received, among other things, a new interior with more comfortable seats. From 2004 four high-performance locomotives of the type Gmeinder D 75 BB-SE and eight low-floor cars were ordered.
The following were delivered:

• 2005 D 13-14
• 2007 D 15-16, VS 5, B4 34
• 2008 VS 7, B4 35-36
• 2009 VS 6, B4 37-38

Nowadays, low-floor and older vehicles usually run in mixed operation in order to carry at least one barrier-free car on all trains . Five compositions are required for every half hour. The historic passenger coaches are used today in the tourist trains, including some used coaches procured by the ÖBB.

At the beginning of 2013, the Vts 11 came from the Pinzgaubahn as a long-term loan to the Zillertalbahn, which was added to the vehicle fleet as the VT 1. In exchange, the Pinzgaubahn received the BD4 42 passenger car and locomotive 2 "Zillertal" from the Zillertalbahn. In the workshops of the Pinzgau Railway, the VT 1 was given the typical red color scheme and the connections at the front required for the Zillertal Railway. The interior has also been modernized so that passengers can now sit on more comfortable seats that have also been built into the low-floor cars. It is therefore the first “real” VT 5090 on the Zillertalbahn with two driver's cabs on each side of the vehicle. Nevertheless, the railcar is only used in conjunction with other intermediate cars. Possible compilations are e.g. B. VT 1 + intermediate car + VT 3-8 or VT 1 + control car.

Also in 2013, two mini diesel locomotives, D1 and D2 built in 1991, came to the Zillertalbahn. The D1 serves as a replacement for the D11, which had to give its transmission to the D12 after irreparable damage and is inoperable. She will soon be returning to the Rhein-Sieg Railway . The D2 will later replace the D12, which is still operational. The D1 and D2 from the Diepholzer machine factory "DIEMA" came from the HOLCIM cement works in Brunnen (Switzerland) and became superfluous because the plant there was closed. The D1 has already been given the typical red color scheme and will soon receive a radio remote control. Since the driver's cabs are very low and only allow poor visibility in the direction of the front end, they will be raised soon.

The freight was to 2013 on trolley handled loaded standard gauge freight cars. Since around the summer of 2013, the Binderholz company , the last remaining freight transport customer, switched to trucking. Since then there has been no more freight traffic on the Zillertal Railway. The trolleys are stacked on top of each other in Jenbach.

On August 1, 2018, the D13 diesel locomotive, the VS4 control car and the BD4 42 car were sold to the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn and run there as Vs 84, VSs 121 and VBDs 251. In return, the Zillertalbahn received the VT1, which had previously been operated by the Pinzgauer Local railway was leased. The locomotive 2 'Zillertal' has meanwhile come back from the Pinzgau to the Zillertalbahn. It was never fueled / used in Pinzgau.

Promotions

As part of the Zillertalbahn guest performance, an operational narrow-gauge train with steam locomotive and rails was demonstrated at numerous locations in Austria and Germany.

On April 21, 2006 a steam locomotive drove on the Rettenbachferner , above Sölden, at the glacier spectacle “Mars: 2068”, which was only performed once .

In the spring of 2011, the D 15 diesel locomotive was provided with a black advertising film to advertise the “Zillertaler Aktivcard”. The now blue D 16 has also been promoting the “Adlerbühne” of the Mayrhofner Bergbahnen since early summer.

Bus transport

A line bus of the Zillertalbahn

The Zillertalbahn operates several regional bus routes in and around the Zillertal. The most important line runs from Mayrhofen via Jenbach, Schwaz and Wattens to Innsbruck. But the Mayrhofen - Hippach guest and village bus is also served. There are also lines from Jenbach to Lake Achensee and high alpine mountain lines to Hochfügen , Schwendberg , in the high mountain nature park of the Zillertal Alps .

In addition to regular services, vehicles are also provided for bus trips.

vehicles

• 

  D1

• 

  D12

• 

  D13, since August 2018 Vs 84 of the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn

• 

  D16

• 

  Locomotive 4

• 

  Hobby train

literature

• W. Duschk, W. Pramstaller and others: Local and trams in old Tyrol . Self-published by Tiroler MuseumsBahnen, Innsbruck 2008, DNB  106754755X , p. 48 .
• The Zillertal Railway: On a narrow track from Jenbach to Mayrhofen by Franz Straka, Albert Ditterich, et al. ISBN 978-3-90289-475-5
• From the green Inn to the glaciers on a narrow track through the Zillertal: The Zillertal Railway Jenbach - Mayrhofen, successful model of a narrow-gauge railway by Günter Denoth, Albert Ditterich, et al. ISBN 978-3-90289-432-8
• The Zillertal Railway. by Franz Kleindel | January 1, 1978
• Jenbach rail hub (on rails) by Günter Denoth | October 1, 2011 ISBN 978-3-86680-858-4

Web links

Commons : Zillertalbahn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wiktionary: Zillertalbahn  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Official website of Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG
• Description of the Zillertal Railway at the Tyrolean Museum Railways

Individual evidence

1. ↑ zillertalbahn.at ( Memento from November 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
2. ↑ Criticism of ÖBB freight transport is growing. In: tirol.orf.at. August 10, 2012, accessed August 5, 2016 . 
3. ^ Zillertalbahn soon without a contract with ÖBB. In: tirol.orf.at. November 25, 2013, accessed August 5, 2016 . 
4. ↑ Tiroler Tageszeitung, January 26, 2019: Detailed planning for the future of the Zillertalbahn is in the final
5. ^ Office of the Tyrolean provincial government: Zillertalbahn travels into the future. December 3, 2015, accessed July 26, 2017 . 
6. ↑ Electrification of the Zillertal Railway decided. In: eurailpress.de, December 3, 2015, accessed on July 19, 2017.
7. ↑ Helmut Schreiner: Through the Zillertal with hydrogen. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 4/2018, Minirex, ISSN  1421-2811 , pp. 182-185
8. ↑ Helmut Schreiner, Nikolaus Fleischhacker: Zillertalbahn 2020+. Energy autonomy with hydrogen. In: DVV Media Group (Ed.): ETR - Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau . tape 67 , no. 6 , June 2018, p. 66-71 ( online [accessed January 16, 2020]).
9. ↑ Hydrogen instead of diesel: new drive for the Zillertal Railway . In the Tyrolean daily newspaper from February 2, 2018
10. ↑ Railway and tram locomotives and rolling stock and related parts - 104106-2018. In: TED Tenders Electronic Daily. March 8, 2018, accessed July 16, 2018 . 
11. ↑ Thomas Griesser Kym: World premiere in the Zillertal: Stadler Rail delivers hydrogen trains to Austria. In: St. Galler Tagblatt (online) from May 18, 2018
12. ↑ Zillertalbahn writes out hydrogen railcars. In: orf.at, March 7, 2018, accessed March 7, 2018.
13. ↑ Gaseous Fuels - 286535-2018. In: TED Tenders Electronic Daily. July 3, 2018, accessed July 16, 2018 . 
14. ^ Zillertalbahn: Hydrogen cooperation with Verbund. In: tirol.orf.at, July 14, 2018.
15. ↑ Thomas Griesser Kym: The Stadler hydrogen trains can be argued about. In: St. Galler Tagblatt (online) from June 18, 2018
16. ^ Unusual design of a train station tirol.orf.at, April 29, 2014, accessed April 30, 2014.
17. ↑ Zillertalbahn near Schlitters derailed orf.at, September 27, 2017, accessed September 27, 2017.
18. ^ Company Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe Aktiengesellschaft in Jenbach . Commercial register data Creditreform / firmenabc.at
19. ↑ Konrad Hierl: The direct current railcars for overhead line operation of the German state railways. In: Tram magazine. Issue 31, February 1979, ISSN  0340-7071 , p. 54.
20. ↑ Homepage of the Zillertal Railway, section History in Numbers
21. ↑ Otto Slezak, Hans Sternhart: Renaissance of the narrow-gauge railway . Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Vienna 1986, ISBN 3-85416-097-6 , pp. 140-144.
22. ^ Markus Strässle: Narrow-gauge railway activities in Austria . Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-85416-184-0 , p. 109.
23. ↑ 760net.heim.at
24. ↑ torren.at
25. ↑ ; Archive link ( Memento from January 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
26. ↑ Zillertalbahn bus service (accessed on February 4, 2010)
27. ↑ Zillertalbahn coaches (accessed on February 4, 2010)