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Semmering Railway: The first mountain railway in Europe

Semmering Railway: The first mountain railway in Europe

Surely you remember it from the fairy tales of your childhood. In fairy tales, the princes or other heroes had to cross the nine mountains and the nine valleys to accomplish the task at the end of which they achieved the deserved reward. The reward was different; from the princess to the enormous wealth.

FCC UNESCO Semmering RailwayThe engineer Carl Ritter von Gheg determined himself to a difficult task of crossing the mountains - the Viennese Alps and he came with a giant project that is still astonishing people from all over the world. People merely shook their heads over the idea to overcome Semmering by rail in the first half of the 19th century. Too little locomotive power and a high slope spoke clearly against it. But Carl Ritter von Ghega was not discouraged. From 1848 to 1854 he directed the construction of the first high-altitude railway in Europe - the Semmering Railway. Thanks to him, the first alpine railway in Europe was established. About 10,000 men and women participated in its construction. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1998.

A technical masterpiece for all railway lovers

Lovers of tunnels, bridges and mountain panorama will appreciate the train ride from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag. You can also admire the beauty of this monument if you take a train from Vienna to Graz or Klagenfurt. And why is this route so unique?

  • The construction features 14 tunnels (among them the 1,431 m summit tunnel), 16 viaducts (several two-storey) and 118 stone arch bridges and 11 small iron bridges. Most of the portals of the tunnels are simple but monumental in design, and feature various kinds of ornamentations;
  • In total, the fourteen tunnels are 1,477 m long, nearly one-tenth of the entire line; coincidentally, the sixteen major viaducts also total 1,477 m in length;
  • Between Gloggnitz station, at an altitude of 436 m, reaches its highest point after 29 km over the pass at 895 m above sea level, and ends 12 km further away at the Mürzzuschlag station, 677 m above sea level. The total length is 41 km.
  • The 57 two-storey attendants' houses, located at approximately 700 m intervals, are a very characteristic feature of the Semmering line and were built from coursed rubble masonry with brick trimmings. Little remains of the original stations, which were planned as no more than relay stations and watering points, but later became converted into more impressive structures as tourist traffic increased.

FCC Neunkirchen Abfall Service GmbH, the partner of the Semmering railway

FCC Neunkirchen Abfall Service GmbH has been providing services in district of Neunkirchen since 2002. We serve communities, industrial and commercial companies as well as trade chains and private households in the region. Waste removal at all stations of the Semmering Railway helps to preserve this unique heritage of the courage and skill of our ancestors.

Since 2002 we are also a proud partner of the FIS WOMEN SKI WORLD CUP SEMMERING organized at the slopes of Zauberberg Semmering ski resort every second year. With our services we guarantee that the event is going to take place in an environmentally friendly, clean and safe surrounding, as we are taking care of the smooth running of the event's waste disposal requirements.

FCC truck next to a viacuct of UNESCO Semmering Railway 

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