Drava Valley Railway

The Drava Valley Railway (German: Drautalbahn) is an east–west railway running along the Drava. It runs from Maribor (where it connects with the Spielfeld-Straß–Trieste railway, formerly part of the old Southern RailwaySüdbahn) to Innichen, where it merges into the Puster Valley Railway (German: Pustertalbahn; Italian: Ferrovia della Val Pusteria) to Franzensfeste (Fortezza). It starts in northern Slovenia, crosses Carinthia and East Tyrol and ends in South Tyrol. The KlagenfurtBleiburg section has been rebuilt as part of the Koralm Railway, which follows the Jaun Valley Railway (Jauntalbahn) from Bleiburg. Like the rest of the line in Slovenia, this section of the line has one track and is unelectrified.

Drava Valley Railway
Overview
Native nameDrautalbahn
Line number
  • 423 01 national border near Bleiburg–Bleiburg
  • 410 01 Bleiburg–Klagenfurt Hbf
  • 413 01 Klagenfurt Hbf–Villach Hbf
  • 222 01 Villach Hbf– Pusarnitz-Süd junction
  • 407 01 Pusarnitz-Süd junction–national border near Sillian
Service
Route number
  • 620 Bleiburg–Klagenfurt
  • 220 Salzburg Hbf–Klagenfurt Hbf
  • 223 Spittal-Millstättersee–Innichen
History
Opened1 June 1863 (1863-06-01)
Technical
Line length311 km (193 mi)
Number of tracks1 or 2
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Minimum radius266 m (873 ft)
ElectrificationKlagenfurt Hbf–Innichen: 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
Operating speed140 km/h (87 mph) (max)
Maximum incline2.73%
Route map

km
0.0
Maribor (Marburg (Drau) Hbf in 1943)
0.9
Maribor Tabor
(not listed in 1943)
1.9
Maribor Studenci (not listed in 1943)
2.6
Maribor Sokolska (Marburg (Drau) Kärntnerbf in 1943)
4.8
Marles (not listed in 1943)
5.9
Limbuš (Marburg-Lembach in 1943)
8.1
Bistrica ob Dravi (Feistritz (b Marburg) in 1943)
11.4
Ruše tovarna
12.4
Ruše (Rast in 1943)
Tunnel (230 m)
18.3
Fala (Fall in 1943)
24.8
Ruta (Lorenzen am Bachern in 1943)
27.4
Ožbalt (Kappel (Steierm) in 1943)
34.5
Podvelka (Rottenberg-Fresen in 1943)
39.6
Vuhred elektrarna (Johannesberg in 1943)
43.7
Vuhred (Wuchern-Mahrenberg in 1943)
Wucherbach viaduct
47.7
Sveti Vid (not listed in 1943)
51.7
Vuzenica (Saldenhofen in 1943)
54.1
Trbonjsko jezero (not listed in 1943)
56.1
Trbonje (Trofin in 1943)
59.6
Sveti Danijel (not listed in 1943)
Rekabach viaduct
63.2
Dravograd (Unterdrauburg in 1943)
Lavant Valley Railway
64.9
Podklanc (not listed in 1943)
69.2
Dobrije (not listed in 1943)
71.0
Ravne na Koroškem (Gutenstein-Streiteben in 1943)
74.3
Prevalje (Prävali in 1943)
tunnel
Holmec tunnel (338 m)
82.0
Holmec (Homberg (Kärnten) in 1943)
82.152
Slovenia
Austria
national border
Jaun Valley Railway (from Zeltweg)
86.334
Bleiburg
486 m
89.261
St. Michael ob Bleiburg (not listed in 1943)
479 m
90.4
Mahle Filtersysteme Austria siding
Koralm Railway to Klagenfurt Hbf (under construction)
93.430
Mittlern
482 m
100.027
Völkermarkt-Kühnsdorf
441 m
Vellach Valley Railway (until 22 May 1971)
107.223
Tainach-Stein
393 m
110.7
Koralm Railway from Graz Hbf (under construction)
Grafenstein green tunnel (633 m)
114.657
Grafenstein
418 m
124.322
Klagenfurt Ebenthal
441 m
124.092
Klagenfurt Fbf
125.881
Klagenfurt Hbf
440 m
Rosen Valley Railway (to Jesenice)
128.394
Klagenfurt Lend
447 m
129.693
Klagenfurt West
(since 14 December 2014)
130.788
Klagenfurt See
(closed on 21 May 1952)
133.257
Krumpendorf
445 m
137.630
Pritschitz
448 m
139.727
Pörtschach am Wörthersee
448 m
141.302
Leonstein
(closed on 1 October 1967)
142.549
Töschling
445 m
147.883
Velden am Wörthersee
469 m
151.676
Lind-Rosegg
500 m
152.040
Bildstein siding
155.036
Föderlach
505 m
162.207
Villach Seebach
492 m
163.450
Villach Hbf-Ostbf
(goods yard)
164.264
Villach Hbf
498 m
Tauern link line 415 01 (from Villach Westbf)
166.483
Gummern 2 junction
171.384
Omya siding
172.799
Gummern
(closed on 13 December 2014)[1]
174.013
Puch
505 m
177.688
Weißenstein-Kellerberg
506 m
178.744
EVONIK siding
Paternion-Feistritz halt
(since 14 December 2014)
183.163
Paternion-Feistritz
513 m
185.684
Markt Paternion
525 m
187.000
Ferndorf
527 m
188.062
Knauf Insulation siding
191.710
Rothenthurn
520 m
192.324
Danicek siding
200.135
Spittal-Millstätter See
544 m
206.504
Pusarnitz-Süd
(line 407 01 junction)
Tauern Railway (to Schwarzach-St. Veit)
206.652
Lendorf
548 m
210.639
Möllbrücke-Sachsenburg
558 m
213.057
Markt Sachsenburg
562 m
213.148
Hasslacher siding
219.574
Kleblach-Lind
572 m
226.460
Steinfeld im Drautal
582 m
232.075
Greifenburg-Weißensee
590 m
237.365
Berg im Drautal
594 m
241.780
Dellach im Drautal
608 m
246.640
Irschen
609 m
249.856
Oberdrauburg
621 m
Carinthia
Tyrol
state border
257.013
Nikolsdorf
637 m
263.235
Dölsach
653 m
265.280
Verbund siding
265.354
Rossbacher siding
266.170
Liebherr siding
266.222
Landwirt siding
266.680
Lienz Peggetz
(since December 2011)
268.381
Lienz
674 m
278.334
Thal
812 m
280.253
Theurl Leimholz siding
284.497
Mittewald an der Drau
(loading point)
882 m
291.504
Abfaltersbach
1036 m
295.406
Tassenbach
1070 m
295.656
Nordpan siding
297.025
Heinfels
(since 1 February 2020)[2][3]
1078 m
298.627
Sillian
1089 m
301.400
Weitlanbrunn
1111 m
302.246
Holzhof Arnbach siding
302.952
72.568
Austria
Italy
national border
71.668
Winnebach/Prato Drava
1125 m
70.632
Vierschach I
closed in c. 1960s
69.115
Vierschach-Helm/Versciaco-Elmo
(opened 2014)
1137 m
68.819
Vierschach II
(closed 1989)
1138 m
64.509
Innichen/San Candido
(electrication system change)
1176 m
km
Source: Austrian railway atlas[4]

History

The line now called the Drava Valley Railway consists of the Carinthian Railway (Maribor–Villach), the original Drava Valley Railway (Villach–Lienz) and the eastern part of the original Puster Valley Railway (which extended from Lienz to Franzensfeste). It received its current name as a result of the division of the Puster Valley Railway into an Austrian and an Italian part after 1918.

Carinthian Railway

The Carinthian Railway (Kärntner Bahn) was built as a branch line by the k.k. Priv. Südbahngesellschaft (Imperial–royal, "privileged"—by the grant of a concession—Southern Railway Company) and extended from Maribor (then officially referred to under its German name of Marburg) to Villach.

The original concession (1856: Maribor–Villach–Brixen with a Villach–Gorizia—branch) was held by another company, which, however, could not raise the capital to build this large project. It still held the concession at the groundbreaking ceremony in Klagenfurt in 1857.

This concession then passed to Creditanstalt, which passed part of it (Maribor–Villach) on to the Southern Railway Company. The remaining projects were dropped for the time being. The section from Maribor to Klagenfurt was opened on 1 June 1863. The line was then opened to Villach on 30 May 1864.

The line was electrified and double-tracked between Klagenfurt and Villach in the 1960s.

Old Drava Valley Railway; Puster Valley Railway

An extension was not initially considered. It was only because of political and strategic considerations that the decision was made later to build a connection from Villach via Lienz to Franzensfeste to establish a link between the Southern Railway and the Brenner Railway. This was done with the construction of the old Drava Valley Railway and the Puster Valley Railway, both of which were opened on 20 November 1871. The Villach–Franzensfeste section was built with financial support from the state.

Drava Valley Railway between Maribor (bottom right) and Franzensfeste, 1899

Reorientation after 1918

After the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, the line suddenly lay in three different states and thus lost its historical unity. With the division of the Puster Valley Railway, its Austrian section was merged with the old Drava Valley Railway and the Carinthian Railway to form the current Drava Valley Railway, while the Italian Puster Valley Railway kept its name. The Austrian section still ends a few kilometres from Maribor. Between the junction with the Rosen Valley Railway in Klagenfurt and the junction with the Rudolf Railway towards Tarvisio in Villach, it became part of the new southern line.

Since the junction with the Lavant Valley Railway (Lavanttalbahn) was in Dravograd (Unterdrauburg) in Slovenia, trains between the Jaun Valley and Klagenfurt had to run as transit traffic until the Jaun Valley Railway (Jauntalbahn), which provides a route through Austria, was built in the 1960s.

Railcar 813.018 in Bleiburg

Passenger services and rolling stock

Services of the Slovenian Railways run on the Slovenian section from Monday to Friday. There is comparatively dense traffic between Maribor and Ruše. Three pairs of trains run as far as Bleiburg. Some trains run as far as Prevalje. Very few regional trains run on weekends in the summer months.[5] Services are mostly operated with class SZ813/814 railcars, which were built between 1973 and 1976 by Fiat Ferroviaria and TVT Maribor.[6]

Services operate from Bleiburg to Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof, many originating in Wolfsberg. Services are operated by push-pull trains powered by class 2016 locomotives or class 5022 diesel multiple units.

ÖBB long-distance services on the ViennaVillach, Vienna–Lienz and Klagenfurt–Salzburg routes are also operated on the KlagenfurtSpittal an der Drau section. These RJ, EC, IC or EN services are pulled or pushed by class 1144, 1116 and 1216 locomotives. Modern railcars of class 4024 are also operated as REX, R or S-Bahn services on the electrified section.

Until the 2013/14 timetable change, there were two daily ÖBB direct connections from Lienz to Innsbruck, which were run as transit trains over the Puster Valley Railway and the Brenner Railway and were hauled by class 1216 locomotives.

Since the 2014/15 timetable change, fourteen FLIRT trains have been running every hour from Lienz to Franzensfeste,[7] with interchange to services to Innsbruck or Bolzano (Bozen). The six-part ETR170 sets are equipped for operation under 3 kV DC (Italy) and 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC (Austria).

References

Footnotes

  1. "Ausgedient: ÖBB sucht Käufer für den Bahnhof in Gummern" [Discontinued: ÖBB is looking for buyers for the railway station in Gummern]. Kleine Zeitung (in German). 25 December 2014. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  2. "Neue Haltestelle geplant: Der Zug hält ab Dezember in Heinfels". Tiroler Tageszeitung (in German). 3 June 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  3. "Ein Bahnhof, in dem noch nie ein Zug gehalten hat". Tiroler Tageszeitung (in German). 20 January 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  4. Railway Atlas 2010, pp. 77, 86–95, 97.
  5. "Timetable for Maribor–Prevalje valid from 15 December 2019 to 29 August 2020" (PDF) (in Slovenian). Slovenske železnice. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  6. "SŽ garnitura serije 813/814" (in Slovenian). miniaturna-zeleznica.com. Archived from the original on 7 August 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. "Direkte Zugverbindung Franzensfeste-Lienz" (in German). Retrieved 25 October 2020.

Sources

  • Eisenbahnatlas Österreich [Railway atlas of Austria]. Schweers + Wall. 2010. ISBN 978-3-89494-138-3.
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