Hirschwang station

Hirschwang station is the terminus of the Höllentalbahn. It is located at 498 meters above sea level and was newly put into operation in 2006. Since then, the old Hirschwang station is no longer served by passenger trains, shortening the operating distance by about 200m.

The Höllentalbahn is a narrow-gauge, electrically operated local railway with a gauge of 760 mm and a maximum speed of 25 km/h in southern Lower Austria at the foot of the Rax. The approximately 5 km long line connects the southern railway station Payerbach-Reichenau with the village Hirschwang. Today the railway, originally known as the "Lokalbahn Payerbach - Hirschwang" (L.B.P.-H.), operates as a museum railway for visitors every Sunday and public holiday from mid-June to mid-October.

Route description

The starting point of the Höllentalbahn is the station Payerbach-Reichenau of the Semmeringbahn. The destination of today's museum railway is at Hirschwang station.

History

In 1918 the railway started operation as a material railway of a paper factory. Until 1926 it was gradually developed into a local railway carrying passengers and goods. In addition to local commuter traffic, the railway also served excursionists as a feeder to the Raxseilbahn, Austria's first cable railway, which also opened in 1926. At the beginning of the 1960s, major investments would have been necessary for the continued existence of the railway, which is why passenger transport was discontinued in 1963 and replaced by postal buses. The freight traffic, especially to the paper factory in Hirschwang, could still be operated until 1982.

The association Österreichische Gesellschaft für Lokalbahnen (ÖGLB), founded in 1977, has been running the museum service on weekends in summer since 1979 with some interruptions and takes care of the preservation of the Höllentalbahn line.

Due to the poor condition of the tracks, there was no passenger service between Payerbach and Reichenau in 1992. In 1996, with the project "Revitalization of the Höllentalbahn", the entire line and railcars were renovated until 1999 and operations were ceremoniously resumed in 2000.

Excursion tip

• Water conduit path in the Höllental: Cool off on hot days while hiking and bathing in the deeply cut Schwarzatal between Schneeberg and Rax.