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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 10, Issue 7 (October 1, 1935)

Rail Travel in Austria

Rail Travel in Austria.

Continental travel reached tremendous proportions this summer, and a striking feature was the increase in the volume of vacation travel between Britain and Austria. A wonderfully attractive land for the holiday-maker, Austria is served from end to end by an efficient State-owned railway network, having a total length of 3,600 miles. Although State-owned, the Austrian railways are worked on business lines, with their finances entirely separate from those of the State. In consequence of this change of policy, effected in 1923, the name “Austrian State Railways” was altered to the present nomenclature “Austrian Federal Railways.”

Heavy gradients and severe curves abound in Austria. Steam locomotives total 2,041; electric locomotives 215; electric railcars 27; and internal combustion engined railcars 55. Passenger carriages total about 7,850; and goods wagons about 33,600. An outstanding work of recent years has been the electrification of many of the mainlines in Western Austria. To-day, some 571 miles of track are electrified, and further conversion plans are under review.

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