The Murtalbahn (literally translated, the Mur Valley Railway) is a narrow-gauge railway largely located in the state of Styria in Austria. The line runs along the valley of the River Mur, from the market town of Unzmarkt through Murau to Tamsweg, which is just over the Styrian border in the state of Salzburg. The railway is operated by Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (STLB), which is owned by the state of Styria. With a total length of , it is the fourth-longest narrow-gauge railway in Austria.
History The railway line between Unzmarkt and Mauterndorf was opened in October 1894.
In March 1973, the public passenger service on the section between Tamsweg and Mauterndorf was closed. That section is operated today as a museum railway by Club 760, under the name Taurachbahn.
Special steam trains and amateur locomotive trips still operate over the route.
Accidents and incidents On 9 July 2021, railcar VT 32 was derailed due to a fallen tree, with one carriage ending up on its side in the Mur. Seventeen people, mostly young school-age children, were injured.
Operation
Five diesel-electric railcars, introduced in 1981, are used to operate a service over the line every two hours. In the summer months, the STLB operates weekend steam-hauled services between Murau, where the main workshop are, and Tamsweg. Goods trains still operate on the railway, hauled by diesel locomotives VL 14 and 15, built in 1966. Timber and petroleum are the major goods transported.
The STLB has invested in the railway, and the infrastructure is maintained to the standard of mainline standard gauge routes. There are good positions for photography by railway enthusiasts along the whole route, particularly in the valley between Madling and Tamsweg.
Museum Club 760 maintains a museum in the locomotive shed at Frojach Katschtal station.
Fleet Number Built Builder Wheel arrangement Steam locomotives Stainz 2 1892 Krauss 0-4-0T U 11 1894 Krauss 0-6-2T Bh1 1905 Krauss 0-6-2T U 40 1908 Wiener Neustädter Lokomotivfabrik 0-6-2T U 43 1913 Krauss 0-6-2T Diesel Locomotives VL 5 1938 Demag B VL 6 1959 Orenstein & Koppel B VL 7 1940 Gmeinder B VL 12 1966 ÖMAG B-B VL 13 1967 ÖMAG B-B VL 16 1967 ÖMAG B-B Diesel Railcars and Trailers VT 31 1980 Knotz VT 32 1981 Knotz VT 33 1981 Knotz VT 34 1981 Knotz VT 35 1998 Jenbacher Werke VS 41 1982 Knotz VS 42 1982 Knotz VS 43 1982 Knotz/BBC VS 44 1982 Knotz/BBC
References
Sources Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (Herausgeber): Das Buch der Murtalbahn. Eigenverlag, 1994, Walter Kroboth, J.O.Slezak, H.Sternhart: Schmalspurig durch Österreich. Slezak, Wien 41991, Joseph O. Slezak, Hans Sternhart: Renaissance der Schmalspurbahn in Österreich. Slezak, Wien 1986, Markus Strässle: Schmalspurbahn-Aktivitäten in Österreich. Slezak, Wien 1997, Markus Strässle: Lokalbahnen in der Steiermark. Zeunert, Gifhorn 1995,
External links
Murtalbahn page from STLB web site (in German)