Bergbahnen

Mountain Railways, local rack railways, funicular railways or cableways (Cableways) for the transport of both passengers and freight to high-lying places which are not integrated into the traffic system (Unlike Alpine Railways), they frequently have to overcome very steep gradients.) The Achensee mountain railway (1889) is the oldest rack railway in Europe. Other rack railways operate between Puchberg mountain and the mountain station on Hochschneeberg mountain (province of Lower Austria) and between St. Wolfgang and the top of Schafberg mountain (province of Upper Austria). In the year 1992, these two railways transported altogether 390,793 persons. In earlier days locomotives were powered by steam generated by the combustion of coal. Steam locomotives are nowadays powered by oil, other railcoaches are powered by diesel engines. The steepest adhesion railway operates between Linz-Urfahr and Pöstlingberg mountain. The oldest funicular railways give access to Hohensalzburg Castle (railway built 1892), to Schloßberg Hill in Graz and to the Hungerburg plateau above Innsbruck. Modern-day funicular railways with high passenger capacity are built in many of Austria's big ski resorts.