Lower Inn Valley Railway

The Lower Inn Valley Railway (German: Unterinntalbahn) is a two-track, electrified railway line that is one of the major lines of the Austrian railways. It was originally opened as the k.k. Nordtiroler Staatsbahn (Imperial and Royal North Tyrolean State Railway). It begins at the German border near the Austrian city of Kufstein as a continuation of the Rosenheim–Kufstein line and runs in a generally south-westerly direction through Tyrol along the Inn valley to Innsbruck. The line is part of the Line 1 of Trans-European Transport Networks (TEN-T). The line is owned and operated by Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB).

Lower Inn Valley Railway
Overview
Other name(s)	Bahnstrecke Kufstein–Innsbruck
Native name	Unterinntalbahn
Status	Operational
Owner	Austrian Federal Railways
Line number	302 01 Border near Kufstein–Wörgl Hbf 101 04 Wörgl Hbf–Innsbruck 101 15 Beschleunigungsgleis Wörgl Hbf – Wörgl Kundl
Locale	Tyrol
Termini	Border of Germany–Austria Innsbruck
Stations	21
Service
Type	Heavy rail, Passenger/Freight rail Intercity rail, Regional rail, Commuter rail
Route number	300 Salzburg Hbf - Brennero/Brenner 301 Jenbach - Telfs-Pfaffenhofen / Steinach in Tirol
Operator(s)	Austrian Federal Railways
History
Opened	24 November 1858
Technical
Line length	75.130 km (46.684 mi)
Number of tracks	Double track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ^1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC Overhead line
Operating speed	160 km/h (99 mph)
Route map from Rosenheim 31,868 0,000 Germany–Austria border A12 Inntal Autobahn and B175 Wildbichler Straße 2.339 Kufstein terminus of  S1  482 meters (1,581 ft) B171 Tiroler Straße Former freight railway to Schwoich/Eiberg A12 Inntalautobahn Stimmersee 6.617 Schaftenau  S1  7.038 Siding) 7.041 Kufstein 2 crossover (Üst) 8.480 Langkampfen  S1  HSL (in planning) from Brannenburg Schaftenau junction HSL (in planning) from Wörgl 2 junction A12 Inntalautobahn Inn 11.600 11.809 Change of chainage (-209 m) 11.920 Kirchbichl  S1  494 m (1,621 ft) B178 Loferer Straße Salzburg-Tyrol line from Salzburg Hbf 16.027 Wörgl Hbf  S1  505 m (1,657 ft) terminus of  S2   S6  17.300 Wörgl Terminal south 506 m (1,660 ft) 18.400 Wörgl Terminal north 505 m (1,657 ft) 18.500 Wörgl West (in planning) 505 m (1,657 ft) 22.308 Wörgl Kundl  S1   S2  510 m (1,670 ft) HSL (in planning) from Schaftenau junction 24,969 Radfeld junction HSL to Stans junction 26.969 Radfeld 2 crossover 29.991 Rattenberg-Kramsach  S1   S2  Rattenbergtunnel (L 182 m) 31.303 Brixlegg  S1   S2  524 m (1,719 ft) Inn 36.027 Brixlegg 2 crossover 37.181 Münster-Wiesing  S1   S2  526 m (1,726 ft) HSL A12 tunnel (L 190 m) from Mayrhofen (Ziller Valley Railway) Freight connection (route change, transhipment to Rollbock) from Seespitz am Achensee 40.882 Jenbach  S1   S2  530 m above sea level (AA) 41.509 Relocation of original track Run off from Achensee power station HSL from Radfeld junction ≈43.9 Stans junction HSL to Fritzens-Wattens 2 junction 44,580 Jenbach 2 crossover 45,712 Stans bei Schwaz  S1   S2  45,800 Stans bei Schwaz (until 14 August 2011) 45,795 Stanser tunnel (L 634 m) Stanser Bach A12 HSL 46,429 46,869 End of relocation of original track Siding) 48.360 Schwaz  S1   S2  538 m (1,765 ft) 51.694 Pill-Vomperbach siding 51.694 Pill-Vomperbach  S1   S2  ( siding) 544 m (1,785 ft) 52.721 Schwaz 2 crossover A12 Inntalautobahn 54.267 Schwaz 3 crossover 55.231 Terfens-Weer  S1   S2  59.067 Fritzens-Wattens  S1   S2  555 m (1,821 ft) 61.339 Volders-Baumkirchen  S1   S2  HSL HSL from Stans junction 62.361 Fritzens-Wattens 2 junction Innsbruck bypass to Innsbruck 1 junction 63.822 Fritzens-Wattens 3 crossover 66.606 Hall in Tirol  S1   S2 , terminus of  S3  70.093 Rum  S1   S2   S3  71.210 Hall in Tirol 3 crossover 72.426 Siding Inn to Innsbruck Fbf (goods station) 75.130 Innsbruck Hbf  S1   S2   S3  582 m (1,909 ft) terminus of  S4   S5  Arlberg Railway to Bludenz and Brenner Railway to Bolzano/Bozen Source: Austrian railway atlas[1]

Lower Inn Valley railway to the north of the Inn at Fritzens. Work on the New Lower Inn Valley Railway is under way next to the line.

History

The line was the first railway in western Austria, opened on 24 November 1858. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria had ordered its construction in 1853.

New line

Concrete shell for the New Lower Inn Valley railway

In order to increase the capacity of the track and in preparation for the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel a new high-capacity line has been built between Kundl1 junction and Fritzen-Wattens 1 junction (at Baumkirchen). It was opened on 9 December 2012 for scheduled traffic. The great majority of this line has been built in tunnel in order not to increase noise pollution in the Inn valley. The new route is designed for mixed traffic up to 250 km/h (160 mph) and is fitted with ETCS Level 2 signalling system.[2][3] An extension of the new line from Kundl/Radfeld to Brannenburg is in the planning phase.

References

1. Eisenbahnatlas Österreich (Austrian railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2010. pp. 38–39, 56–57, 100. ISBN 978-3-89494-138-3.
2. "Newsletter" (PDF) (in German). Brenner Eisenbahn GmbH. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
3. "Die Neue Unterinntalbahn (the new Lower Inn railway)" (PDF) (in German). Brenner Eisenbahn GmbH. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2010.