Semmeringbahn

Semmering Railway, section of the Southern railway between Gloggnitz (Lower Austria) and Mürzzuschlag (Styria), 41 km long, constructed between 1848 and 1854 by K. v. Ghega, first mountain railway in Europe, still serves as model for mountain railways all over the world. The railway circumvents the mountain masses and systematically follows the valleys to reach the summit (first ramp railway). Carried by 16 viaducts that are supported by several arches, the Semmering railway crosses valleys and gorges, runs through 15 tunnels and reaches its highest point at 897 metres in the main tunnel (1,430 metres long, then considered the most famous building of its kind). Maximum gradient is 25 metres over a distance of 1,000 metres (= 1 in 40, the maximum gradient was formerly 1 in 200). Construction of the Semmering railway, a pure adhesion railway, proved that railway lines can be built across mountain ranges. The construction of a Semmering-Basistunnel has been provisionally suspended. In 1998 the Semmering railway was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

Literature: R. Mauterer, Semmeringbahn Daten, Fakten, Propaganda, 1990; M. Kubinszky et al., Architektur an der Semmeringbahn, 1992.