A train journey through the Alm Valley
Austrian Post is congratulating the traditional Almtal Railway in Upper Austria on the 125th anniversary of its opening with a commemorative stamp.
Nowadays people generally refer to the entire stretch of railway from Wels via Sattledt to Grünau im Almtal as the Almtal Railway, but from a historical point of view, the name in fact only applies to the section from Sattledt to Grünau. The line from Wels to Sattledt and on to Rohr was opened in 1893. A new section starting in Sattledt was added in order to improve access to the Alm Valley, running via Pettenbach and Scharnstein to Grünau, with this branch line opening in 1901.
From the outset, the railway line was operated by the State Railway, nowadays meaning Austrian Federal Railways. Since the 1960s, diesel trains have run on the Almtal Railway, with the 5047- and 5022-series diesel engines that have been specifically designed for local travel being used nowadays. The railway line is used for commuter travel and travel to and from school, as well as for tourism. The entire stretch from Wels to Grünau is roughly 43 kilometres long, with trains taking around 45 minutes to traverse the approximately 30- kilometre-long Almtal Railway from Sattledt to Grünau. Transportation of goods on this section was ceased in 2002. In recent years the infrastructure of the entire section has been extensively modernised and electrification was considered. Nevertheless, the future of passenger travel on this line remains uncertain due to low numbers, with a partial takeover by the state of Upper Austria currently under consideration.
