Hirschwang station

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

The Höllentalbahn is a narrow-gauge, electrically operated local railroad with a track 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 Payerbach-Reichenau southern railway station with the village of Hirschwang. Today, the railroad, originally known as the "Lokalbahn Payerbach - Hirschwang" (L.B.P.-H.), operates as a museum railroad for visitors every Sunday and public holiday from mid-June to mid-October.

Route description

The Höllentalbahn starts at Payerbach-Reichenau station on the Semmering Railway. The destination of today's museum railroad is Hirschwang station.

History of the line

In 1918, the line began operating as a materials line for a paper factory. Until 1926, it was gradually expanded into a local passenger and freight railroad. In addition to local commuter traffic, the railroad also served excursionists as a feeder to the Rax cable car, Austria's first cable car, which also opened in 1926. At the beginning of the 1960s, major investments would have been necessary to keep it running, which is why passenger transport was discontinued in 1963 and replaced by postal buses. Freight transport, in particular to the paper factory in Hirschwang, continued to operate until 1982.

The Austrian Society for Local Railways (ÖGLB), founded in 1977, has been operating the museum service at weekends in summer since 1979, with a few interruptions, and is responsible for maintaining the Höllentalbahn line.

Due to the poor condition of the tracks, passenger services between Payerbach and Reichenau ceased in 1992. In 1996, the "Revitalization of the Höllentalbahn" project renovated the entire line and railcars until 1999 and operations were ceremoniously resumed in 2000.

Excursion tip

• Water pipeline trail in the Höllental valley: cool off on hot days while hiking and swimming in the deeply incised Schwarzatal valley between Schneeberg and Rax.