Mariazellerbahn

Opened in 1907 and electrified with its own rare 6.5 kV 25 Hz current in 1911, Austria’s grandest narrow-gauge line crests at 892 m in the Gösing Tunnel.

Pilgrims have walked to Mariazell’s basilica for eight centuries; this narrow gauge was built so they could ride, swinging out of St. Pölten through the Pielach valley’s pear orchards into the limestone Alps. The mountain section is the reward: 21 tunnels, the lofty Saugraben viaduct and a ledge above the Ötschergräben, canyons billed as Austria’s Grand Canyon. Golden Himmelstreppe railcars work the service with a panorama car angled at the view, and heritage stock returns on summer dates.

Stations

1. 0 kmSt. Pölten Hauptbahnhof
2. 10 kmOber Grafendorf
3. 13 kmKlangen
4. 14 kmWeinburg
5. 15 kmKammerhof
6. 17 kmHofstetten-Grünau
7. Show 14 more stations

   1. 21 kmMainburg
   2. 23 kmRabenstein
   3. 25 kmSteinklamm
   4. 27 kmSteinschal-Tradigist
   5. 29 kmKirchberg an der Pielach
   6. 32 kmSchwerbach
   7. 33 kmLoich
   8. 37 kmSchwarzenbach an der Pielach
   9. 41 kmFrankenfels
   10. 44 kmBoding
   11. 46 kmLaubenbachmühle
   12. 54 kmWinterbach
   13. 58 kmPuchenstuben
   14. 64 kmGösing
8. 68 kmAnnaberg-Reith
9. 70 kmWienerbruck-Josefsberg
10. 74 kmErlaufklause
11. 77 kmMitterbach am Erlaufsee
12. 80 kmMariazell

The stations OpenStreetMap lists for this service, in order, with the distance along the line as drawn here. A train may skip some of them.

Along the way

• Pielach valley orchards
• Gösing station facing the Ötscher
• Saugraben viaduct
• Ötschergräben gorge
• Mariazell basilica

How this line was checked

• Line drawn from OpenStreetMap relation 1919421 — the same nodes OpenStreetMap holds for this railway, thinned to within under 25 m of them
• Checked against OpenStreetMap: the whole line lies on real track, a median 5 m from it
• Checked against the running timetable via ÖBB Scotty: our line sits under 100 m from the shape of R56
• Wikipedia has an article for this line
• See for yourself: open this line on the map with OpenStreetMap's own railway drawn underneath it

Questions and answers

How long is the Mariazellerbahn?

The Mariazellerbahn runs 84 km from St. Pölten to Mariazell.

How long does the Mariazellerbahn take?

The fastest scheduled journey is 2 h 30 min for the 84 km. That is an average of 34 km/h end to end. The line's top service speed is 80 km/h.

Who runs the Mariazellerbahn?

Niederösterreich Bahnen, with Himmelstreppe (Stadler).

How old is the Mariazellerbahn?

The line has been in service since 1907. That is the year the atlas dates it from: for a modern brand running over an older railway, it is the railway's date, not the brand's.

How high does the Mariazellerbahn climb?

892 m above sea level at its highest point.

View on the world railway map →

Read more on Wikipedia ↗