An Austrian train crossing a stone viaduct on the Semmering Railway in winter. — HORST SCHROTTNER
The famous Unesco-recognised Semmering Railway in Europe forms an important section of the Sudbahn, a railway line that passes through picturesque parts of Austria, Slovenia and Italy on its journey from Vienna to Trieste on the Adriatic Sea.
This railway from the Austrian capital to the port of Trieste in northeast Italy has long been a strategic route and a vital link between Central Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. From 1832 to 1918, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was linked to Vienna by a railway line in 1857.
Today, the rail line is one of the busiest in Austria which has a well-developed network that makes it the perfect way for tourists to discover this wondrous landlocked nation.
Semmering Railway
Austria’s Semmering Railway (Semmeringbahn) operates along a section of the Vienna to Trieste Line over Semmering Mountain between Gloggnitz and Murzzuschlag.
The Semmering Railway, which is just 41km and Europe’s first mountain railway built with standard-gauge track (1,434mm), became the first railway to be recognised by Unesco when it was inscribed on their World Heritage Site list in 1998.
The rail line was conceived in 1841 and, when completed, it was recognised for its outstanding technological solution to a major physical problem.
By 1844, railways from Murzzuschlag to Graz and Vienna to Gloggnitz were completed, and it became apparent that a connection between these two lines was necessary, and a lively debate on how best to overcome the saddle on Semmering Mountain began.
In 1848, the construction of the railway was approved, with a prominent Austrian railway engineer, Karl Ritter von Ghega, appointed as the manager. Engineers and a workforce of 20,000 had to overcome the challenging geology, steep gradients and deep ravines of the topography. So perilous was the task that 1,000 workers died from work-related deaths as well as outbreaks of typhus and cholera. The workers used very basic equipment and explosives to blast a route through the rock.
One of the biggest challenges of the railway was to conquer a 457m increase in altitude (the average gradient is steep at 1:50). In the end, 16 viaducts, 15 tunnels, 100 brick-arched bridges, and 11 iron bridges were put in place to accommodate the line.
While construction occurred, a competition was staged to design a suitable mountain locomotive, and the Austrian architect and engineer Wilhelm von Engerth, was commissioned to oversee the development of a series of Semmering steam locomotives.
OBB is investing in a new generation of Nightjet trains, which will offer passengers an even more comfortable night-time travel experience. — Photos: DAVID BOWDEN
In October 1853, the route was tested by a steam locomotive, and on July 17, 1854, the Austrian Emperor and Empress travelled along the line just before its official opening to the public.
Upon construction, the railway was considered an intelligent combination of technology and nature, and the Unesco citation commends the Semmering Railway as “one of the great feats of civil engineering during the pioneering phase of railway building”.
The Semmering Railway also reduced the travel time from days to less than an hour, and today, trains take just 40 minutes to pass through the scenic landscape.
The design and construction were of such a high standard that very little has changed apart from the longest tunnel, the Semmering Tunnel, being rebuilt in 1952, and the line remains one of Austria’s busiest sections of track.
The railway arrives
The railway made a significant contribution to opening up the Semmering region to tourism, and numerous grand hotels and mansions such as the Kurhotel (1909), Hotel Panhans (1888), and Sudbahnhotel (1882), were constructed after the railway came to town.
When completed, the railway brought the Alps closer to Vienna, and communities began to be developed along the railway line. The village of Semmering in Lower Austria became a rural annex to iconic Viennese coffee houses, and in its day, Semmering became Vienna in the mountains just as Trieste was Vienna by the sea.
Viennese society travelled to Semmering by train to relax in the fresh mountain air, to go walking in the summer, and to engage in a variety of winter sports, including skiing.
For visitors to Austria who want to explore beyond the Semmering Railway, there are about six daily trains along the entire 350km route, with OBB (Austrian Federal Railways) trains offering a direct service from Vienna to Trieste Centrale.
Journeys take about nine hours, but the fastest service does it in just over seven hours. These services are direct and don’t require a change of train, although there are other trains in the respective countries for those who want to explore smaller destinations along the way.
Passengers can admire the Austrian countryside from the train’s panoramic windows.
OBB is the main operator of the line, with the first train departing just after 6am and the last, just before midnight. Services such as EC (including “Emona” trains), IC, Nightjet, Railjet, and Euronight trains depart from Vienna Meidling Station.
Railjet is OBB’s high-speed train, which travels at up to 230km/h to connect Austria’s main cities with Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland, Czechia (the Czech Republic), and Italy.
Vienna Meidling Station is southwest of the capital, and trains connect to principal stations such as Wiener Neustadt, Semmering, Bruck an der Mur, Graz, Leibnitz, Spielfeld, Maribor, Celje, Zidani Most and Ljubljana before terminating in Trieste.
Let the journey begin
Train travellers heading to the Semmering Railway will need to begin their journey in Vienna (or Wien to the locals), consistently rated the world’s most livable city.
The former capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is known for its landmark buildings such as St Stephansdom Cathedral, Schonbrunn and Imperial Habsburg Palaces, plus the Vienna Boys’ Choir, museums, opera, classical composers, wine houses in Grinzing, and vibrant Advent markets staged just before Christmas.
Before boarding the train, passengers can enjoy superb coffee, cakes and pastries in iconic coffeehouses such as Demel, Cafe Sacher, Cafe Central, and Cafe Hawelka, or new wines of the season in a traditional Grinzing heuriger or wine tavern.
Train enthusiasts should alight at Semmering Station which has an information centre and a small shop full of rail books and souvenirs. However, it is only open from 9am to 3.30pm on Thursdays to Sundays, between early May and late October.
After exploring the small town, rail enthusiasts should catch a local train and alight at Murzzuschlag Station to inspect the Sudbahn Museum beside the railway station.
The museum has Austria’s largest collection of rail trolleys and motor cars displayed in the roundhouse and engine shed. Highlights of the collection include the imperial and royal cafe carriage and the 180.01 steam locomotive.
Train crossing the Semmering Railway Austria. — MICHAEL LIEBERT/Vienna Alps
From Murzzuschlag, the rail line continues onto Graz, which is Austria’s second-largest city and well worth exploring. The old historic part of the Styrian capital, with its historic architecture, is also a Unesco World Heritage Site.
In other parts of Graz, contemporary architecture stands side by side with heritage buildings. Located on the River Mur, Graz is an architectural trendsetter that includes contemporary landmarks such as the Kastner & Ohler Department Store, the Kunsthaus Gallery and Murinsel Island.
The impressive Schlossberg castle and gardens overlook the city, and visitors can take an elevator or walk up 260 zigzagged steps to admire the 473m-high view over the city’s sea of terracotta-tiled rooftops.
The train to Trieste continues from Graz, past numerous wine estates and onto the Slovenian border, through Slovenia to Zidani Most for trains to Croatia, onto the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, and then into Trieste in Italy. The strategic Adriatic Sea port was the fourth largest city in the Habsburg Empire from 1382-1918.
It’s in the detail
Train enthusiasts will want to travel on a regional train between Payerbach-Reichenau and Murzzuschlag to take in the scenery at a slower pace than intercity trains, which pass through all the small stations at speed.
Most trains feature comfortable seating and modern facilities, as well as designated family and quiet zones, so all passengers can enjoy their journey.
While the engineering details of the Semmering Railway will fascinate trainspotters, families using the train may be more interested in the onboard facilities. Family Zones have a games area, a children’s cinema, nappy-changing facilities, and pram storage facilities.
Passengers seeking some peace and quiet or a place to work should sit in a quiet zone located throughout first- and second-class carriages.
Discover the sights and iconic coffee houses of historic Vienna in a fiacre or horse carriage.
Global Unesco railways
The Semmering Railway is one of just a few Unesco-protected railways around the globe. For example, the Blaenavon Heritage Railway travels through the Blaenavon World Heritage Site in Wales, while the Scenic Railway is located in the Great Blue Mountains Area in Australia. One of the most famous Unesco railway sites is the Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes in eastern Switzerland.
The Mountain Railway of India protects mountain railways in Darjeeling, Nilgiri and Kalka Shimla, while closer to home; a West Sumatran railway is part of the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto Unesco World Heritage Site. The region’s first commercial coal mine, located east of Padang in Indonesia, was once linked to Emmahaven Port (now Teluk Bayur) by a railway developed from 1889 to 1894.
Visitors to Austria should seriously consider using the railway to explore this picturesque country on their next European holiday and take time out to admire the engineering feat that is the Semmering Railway.
