The state of Styria has decided to electrify the Murtalbahn narrow-gauge railway and purchase EMUs for it. The Murtalbahn is located in the state of Styria, Austria, and is a scenic narrow-gauge railway with a track gauge of 760 mm that runs between the towns of Unzmarkt and Tamsweg.
Since the Murtalbahn’s rolling stock, despite a comprehensive renovation, is likely to reach the end of its technical service life by the mid-2030s, the purchase of five new railcars is planned. Due to the rare 760-mm gauge and the small size of the fleet, there is currently no viable market for the separate purchase of new or used vehicles.
As a result, the operators of the Zillertalbahn, Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, and Murtalbahn—which operate 760-mm-gauge lines—have decided to jointly purchase 17 EMUs, “which creates a market, reduces the price per unit, and generates future synergies. “The working group is currently finalizing the tender documentation,” announced Claudia Holzer, regional councilor for transportation and infrastructure in the state of Styria.
Both the expansion and electrification of the infrastructure for the Murtalbahn narrow-gauge railway are necessary to launch the joint tender. This requires co-financing commitments from the federal government and the state of Salzburg.
The Murtalbahn project requires federal funding
To secure the necessary investment, the state government will begin further negotiations with the federal government and the state of Salzburg regarding the electrification and procurement of EMUs for the Murtalbahn, as well as the financing of Styria’s share, amounting to EUR 169 million. Styria’s approval of the project’s funding is contingent solely on the federal government and the state of Salzburg providing co-financing in accordance with existing funding rules.
In addition to the purchase of vehicles, the costs include the electrification of the line, the adaptation of depots and workshops, and the modernization of the route, which will reduce travel time between Unzmarkt and Murau from 36 to 24 minutes.
The ten-year public transport service contract with Steiermarkbahn und Bus GmbH (StB) on the Murtalbahn—which runs between Unzmarkt, Murau, Predlitz, and Tamsweg—is valid until 2030 and is set to continue in the future.
The Murtalbahn is a narrow-gauge railway with a track gauge of 760 mm; only a few rail lines in Austria—such as the Zillertalbahn and the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn—are still operated on this gauge.
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