Trip to Austria and Slovakia - September 2025
General Notes
Four days in Austria plus a trip into Slovakia, based around the Branch Line Society's Vienna Explorer rail and tram tours.
Numbers/letters in [square brackets] are platform identifiers.
Operating Company Abbreviations and Details
- DPB - Dopravný podnik Bratislava (public transport provider in Bratislava)
- GySEV - Györ-Sopron-Ebenfurti Vasút (Györ-Sopron-Ebenfurt Railway)
- ÖBB - Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austrian Federal Railways)
- WL - Wiener Linien (public transport operator in Wien)
Track gauge
Standard gauge unless otherwise stated, including trams in Wien. Bratislava (DPB) trams are metre gauge. Standard gauge: 1435 mm; metre gauge: 1000 mm.
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Thursday 11 September 2025
| Timperley | 05:56 | - | Taxi | |
| Manchester Airport T3 (MAN) | 06:11 | 08:10 | FR693 | Ryanair 9H-QBR B737-8AS push-back from gate 141 08:06, take-off 08:23 from runway 23L |
| Vienna (VIE) | 11:40 | landed 11:27 on runway 34, on outside stand 11:33; bus to terminal | ||
| Wien Flughafen | 12:33 [2] | RJ644 | ÖBB EL 1116 243 | |
| Wien Hbf | 12:48 [8A-B] | 14:17 [7A-B] | IC539 | ÖBB EL 1144 210 |
| Via Wien Meidling 14:24 [7] - Pottendorfer Linie - new alignment at Ebreichsdorf - Ebenfurth bypass - Wiener Neustadt Hbf 14:57 - Bruck a d Mur 16:11 [1] - tunnel beyond Leoben Hbf - cross to left track before Judenburg, back before Thalheim-Pöls (single line working) - Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz brief crossing stop 18.01/18:02 then left track single line working to St Veit an der Glan | ||||
| Klagenfurt Hbf | 18:22 [1] | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: new alignment at Ebreichsdorf on Pottendorfer Linie | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Ibis Styles Klagenfurt am Woerthersee, Viktringer Ring 28, 9020 Klagenfurt (1 night), 12 minutes walk from station. | ||||
| Notes: Heading to Klagenfurt for doing the new alignments around Bleiburg tomorrow. My train towards Wiener Neustadt was 'diverted' via the Pottendorfer Linie, so via the new alignment past Ebreichsdorf, which saves me the bother of going that way on a local train tomorrow afternoon. |
||||
Friday 12 September 2025
| Klagenfurt Hbf | 09:01 [5A-C] | 'S3' | ÖBB EMU 4746 041 | |
| Via new line via Bleiburg: cross to left track after Wiedendorf-Aich - cross to right track after long tunnel - St Paul im Lavanttal 09:43 [1] (east side) - long curve | ||||
| St Andrë im Lavanttal | 09:50 [2] | 10:07 [1] | 'S3' | ÖBB EMU 4746 099 |
| Via short curve to St Paul im Lavanttal - right track through tunnel - Bleiburg - left track from Mittlern to Kühnsdorf Klopeiner See - left track to Grafenstein - cross to right track near Pirk | ||||
| Klagenfurt Hbf | 10:56 [5A-C] | 11:39 [1] | RJ536 | ÖBB EL 1116 243 P |
| Via single line working, right track to Launsdorf - caught up with freight then looped around it at Gloggnitz - Wiener Neustadt Hbf 15:10 [3] - Ebenfurth bypass - Pottendorfer Linie | ||||
| Wien Meidling | 15:37 [8] | 16:11 [1] | 'S80' | ÖBB EMU 4124 032 |
| Wien Hütteldorf | 16:22 [6] | 16:30 [1] | 'REX51' 1648 | ÖBB EL 1293 136 via tunnel route |
| Tullnerbach-Pressbaum | 16:43 [2] | 17:01 [1] | 'REX51' 1647 | ÖBB EL 1293 130 via Hadersdorf surface route |
| Wien Hütteldorf | 17:15 [5] | 17:38 [6] | 'S80' | ÖBB EMU 4020 297 |
| Wien Meidling | 17:48 [4] | 17:57 [6] | RJ750 | ÖBB EL 1116 044 P |
| Wien Hbf | 18:02 [10] | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: new alignments Klagenfurt Hbf - Bleiburg - St Paul im Lavanttal - St Andrë im Lavanttal. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Garner Vienna, Wiedner Gürtel 34, Wien, 1040 (1st of 3 nights) 5 minutes walk from Wien Hbf | ||||
| Notes: Construction of the new high speed Koralmbahn line between Graz and Klagenfurt has caused the Klagenfurt - Bleiburg - Wolfsberg line to be significantly diverted in several places. The changes are all 'before' St Andrë im Lavanttal so I only needed to go that far - saving a bit of time. The divergence of the Wolfsberg line from the main Koralmbahn north of St Paul im Lavanttal is a grade-separated junction, the trains I caught used this in the normal manner. A small number of weekday peak trains run via the section of the Koralmbahn that bypasses Bleiburg, but I didn't bother to try to cover these (which would have been inconvenient anyway) as the new line will have a regular service all the way from Graz when it fully opens in December 2025. In the afternoon I took a service out to Tullnerbach-Pressbaum to get a couiple of 'Vectron' locomotives on the REX51 services on the St. Pölten classic line. |
||||
Saturday 13 September 2025
| Wien Hbf | 06:50 [2] | 'RE3' | ÖBB EL 1116 270 P | |
| Korneuburg | 07:19 [1] | |||
| Korneuburg Bf (Bahnhofplatz) | 07:25 [B] | '858' | bus | |
| The intention was that the '858' bus would drop us off at the normal service stop at Harmannsdorf b.Korneuburg Kirchenplatz, after which we would have a 15 minute walk to Ruckersdorf Bf to pick up the railtour. However it was raining heavily at the time so the bus dropped us off very close to the station. | ||||
| Ruckersdorf Bf | 07:43 | 08:07 | regiobahn DL 2143 033 +2C + DL 2143 062. Branch Line Society "Vienna Explorer" railtour. | |
| Via Bisamberg Umspannwerke (rev) - Stetten (rev) - Korneuburg 08:38/11/08:40 (2 x rev) - Korneuburg Donaulände 08:50/09:02 (rev) - Korneuburg 09:08 (rev) - Floridsdorf 09:22/3/09:29 (rev) - Süßenbrunn 09:38/1/09:43 - Breitenlee 09:53/10:00 (rev) - Süßenbrunn yard 10:13/10:25 (rev) - Stadlau Nord yard - Stadlau yard - Lobau Hafen 10:46/10:52 (rev) - Stadlau yard 11:10/11:18 (rev) - Wien Simmering - line 131-01 - Wien Zvbf (Einfahrgruppe - Friedhofschleife - Nordschleife) - Zvbf Nord - line 124 - Klein Schwechat - Flughafen Wien 11:49 (pass) - Klein-Neusiedl - Schwadorf - Margrethen am Moos 13:07/13:13 (rev) - Flughafen Wien 13:55 (pass) - Klein Schwechat 14:05/14:31 - Schwechater Schleife - Zvbf Ost - line 118-11 - Kledering yard south end 14:40/14:42 (rev) - Ausfahrüberwerfung - flyover over Ostbahn - flyover line, before junction at Lanzendorf-Rannersdorf station 14:45/14:48 (rev) - line 118-19 - Zvbf Ost - Westschleife 14:58/15:03 (rev) - Zvbf Ost - line 118-11 - Kledering - line 133-01 - Oberlaa - line 106-14 ('new' east to south curve) - Blumenthal yard 15:20/15:44 (rev) - Inzersdorf Ort 15:50/15:54 (rev) - Oberlaa - Zvbf Nord - Zvbf Ost - Kledering - Zvbf - Simmering - Donaukaibf - Nußdorf 16:39 - Tulln a d Donau 17:01/17:11 [2] - Tullnerfeld 17:18/17:22 [1] (rev) - Michelhausen 17:43/17:52 (end of line; rev) - Michelhausen 17:55 - Tullnerfeld 18:24/18:37 [1] (rev) - Tullner Westschleife (Tulln avoiding curve) - Stetteldorfer Schleife (Absdorf-Hippersdorf avoiding curve) | ||||
| Korneuburg | 19:17 [11] | 19:25 [2] | 'S3' | ÖBB EMU 4746 116+076 |
| Wien Hbf | 20:03 [1] | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: Tulln avoiding curve. | ||||
| New non-passenger track today: Bisamberg Umspannwerke branch; Korneuburg Donaulände branch; Breitenlee branch; Lobau Hafen branch (further than previous tours); Inzersdorf south to east curve; new connections at Tullnerfeld; Absdorf-Hippersdorf avoiding curve. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Garner Vienna (2nd of 3 nights) | ||||
| Notes: The Branch Line Society's "Vienna Explorer" railtour. I had done some of the lines on a tour in April 2001 but there was plenty I hadn't done before. |
||||
Sunday 14 September 2025
| Wien Hbf | 07:39 [1] | 'S1' | ÖBB EMU 4024 026 | |
| Rennweg | 07:42 | 07:51 | 'S7' | ÖBB EMU 4746 019+076 |
| Kaiserebersdorf | 08:02 [2] | 10 minute walk | ||
| Einstieg Hauptwerkstätte | 08:58 | WL tram 4149 + trailer 5419. Branch Line Society "Vienna Tram Explorer". | ||
| (numbers refer to route numbers) via Betriebsgleis – 71 – Kaiserebersdorf/Zinnergasse (photo stop 09:03/09:06) – 71 – Simmering Enkplatz/Grillgasse (photo stop 09:28/09:37) – 6 – 71 – St. Marx – 71 – 6 – Schleife Absberggasse – 6 – Schleife Geiereckstraße (photo stop 10:06/10:08) – 6 – Schleife Reumannplatz (photo stop 10:23/10:26) – 6 – Quellenplatz Aussteigen – 70 – Erlachgasse – Betriebsbahnhof Favoriten – Gudrunstraße Einsteigen – 70 – Quellenplatz Aussteigen – 6 – Siccardsburggasse – Betriebsbahnhof Favoriten – Leebgasse – Quellenplatz – 70 – Schleife Quartier Belvedere (photo stop and toilet break 10:54/11:12) – 18 – 62 – Schleife Murlingengasse (photo stop 11:27/11:32) – 62 – Schleife Aßmayergasse – 62 – Schleife Gallgasse (photo stop 11:58/12:02) – 62 – Betriebsbahnhof Speising – 62 Wattmanngasse – Betriebsbahnhof Speising – 60 – Schleife Kennedy Brücke – 60 – Betriebsbahnhof Rudolfsheim (photo stop 12:35/12:38) – 52 – Schleife Baumgarten – 49 – Schleife Breitensee – 49 – Schleife Urban-Loritz-Platz – 49 – 18 – Westbahnhof (photo stop 13:23/13:26, delayed departure to 13:36) – Westbahnhof Obeliskenschleife – 18 – 9 – Schleife Teichgasse – 9 – 2 – 10 – Dornbach – Betriebsbahnhof Hernals (toilet break 14:20/14:32) – 43 – 9 – 42 – Schleife Antonigasse – 42 – 8 – Schleife Marsanogasse – 8 – Liechtenwerder Platz – 8 – Schleife Marsanogasse – 8 – D – Augasse – D – 8 – Viaduktschleife – 8 – D – Augasse – D – Börse Reitallee – Schleife Börsegasse – Ring außen – Schleife Schottentor – Ring innen – Schleife Schottentring – 1 – Schwedenplatz – Schleife Gredlerstrasse – Schottentring – 31 – Gaußplatz – Jägerstraße – Raffaelschleife – 5 – 31 – Betriebsbahnhof Brigittenau (photo stop 16:17/16:20) – 31 – 5 – 70 – Schleife Bruno-Marek-Allee – 70 – 2 – Heinestrasse – Mühlfeldgasse Schleife Praterstern – 70 – Schleife Matthäusgasse – Lothringerstrasse – Schleife Karlsplatz (photo stop and toilet break 17:04/17:11) – Lothringerstrasse – 69 – Schleife Christinengasse – 71 | ||||
| Ausstiegsstelle Hauptwerkstätte | 17:44 | 17:48 | Preserved WL bus 8208 (registration W 40 CBI) | |
| Wien Schwechat (bus terminus) | 17:58 | |||
| Schwechat Eisenbahnmuseum: rides on 600 mm gauge ‘Feldbahn’ and standard gauge tracks | ||||
| Schwechat | 19:56 | 'S7' | ÖBB EMU 4046 054+061 | |
| Rennweg | 20:09 | 20:15 | 'S1' | ÖBB EMU 4746 101+127 |
| Wien Hbf | 20:19 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: most of the Wien tram network that was covered by the tour. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Garner Vienna (3rd of 3 nights) | ||||
| Notes: The Branch Line Society's "Vienna Tram Explorer" railtour. In the late afternoon we visited the Schwechat Eisenbahnmuseum. |
||||
Monday 15 September 2025
| Wien Hbf | 08:45 [12] | 'REX6' 7717 | GySEV EMU 4744 304 + ÖBB EMU 4746 062 | |
| Signalling problems Himberg - Gramatneusiedl 09:01 [2] (dep 12 late) - Parndorf 09:21 [1] (dep 16 late) | ||||
| Bratislava-Petržalka | 09:44 [1] | arr 10 late | ||
| St. Petržalka | 10:11 | '99' | DPB bus | |
| Jungmannova | 10:14 | 10:18 | '3' | DPB tram 7512 |
| Južné mesto | 10:24 | 10:28 | '3' | DPB tram 7529 |
| Komisárky | 11:07 | 11:12 | '3' | DPB tram 7538 |
| Stn. Vinohrady | 11:25 | 11:30 | '3' | DPB tram 7527 |
| Blumentál | 11:42 | 11:45 | '3' | DPB tram 7539 |
| Centrum | 11:50 | 12:42 | '4' | DPB tram 7410 |
| Pri kríži | 13:10 | 13:12 | '4' | DPB tram 7450 |
| Zlaté piesky | 14:00 | 14:06 | '4' | DPB tram 7441 |
| Kuchajda | 14:14 | 14:17 | '4' | DPB tram 7438 |
| Stn. Nova Mesto | 14:19 | 14:35 | '4' | DPB tram 7431 |
| Nám. Ľ. Štúra | 14:54 | (full name Námestie Ľudovita Štúra) | ||
| Jesenského | 15:04 | '1' | DPB tram 7414 via Nám. Ľ. Štúra | |
| Hlavná Stanica | 15:21 | walk to hotel to check in and drop off larger bag | ||
| Sokolska | 16:30 | '49' | DPB trolleybus 6030 | |
| Pod stanicou | 16:32 | |||
| Hlavná Stanica | 16:39 | '1' | DPB tram 7128 | |
| Poštová | 16:45 | 16:49 | '9' | DPB tram 7445 |
| Kútiky | 17:04 | 17:10 | '9' | DPB tram 7445 |
| Astronomická | 17:43 | 17:52 | '9' | DPB tram 7126 |
| Poštová | 18:11 | dinner in adjacent restaurant | ||
| Poštová | 19:46 | '1' | DPB tram 7402 | |
| Nám. Ľ. Štúra | 19:51 | |||
| Centrum | 20:11 [B] | '4' | DPB tram 2431 | |
| Krížna | 20:18 | 20:23 | '4' | DPB tram 7444 |
| Americké námestie | 20:25 [C] | 20:36 [D] | (J) | DPB tram 7435 Note (J): showing destination "depo Jurajov dvor" |
| Krížna | 20:37 | 20:40 | '9' | DPB tram 7437 |
| Astronomická | 20:52 | 21:00 | (V) | DPB tram 7437 Note (V): showing destination "Stn. Vinohrady cez Vazovovu" |
| Via Vazovova and south to east curve avoiding Blumentál | ||||
| Race mýto | 21:16 | 21:17 | '3' | DPB tram 7517 |
| Blumentál | 21:19 | 21:20 | '9' | DPB tram 7443 |
| Poštová | 21:25 | |||
| Vysoká | 21:46 | (J) | DPB tram 7116 Note (J): showing destination "depo Jurajov dvor" | |
| Via Poštová - Centrum [C] - curve to Centrum [B] | ||||
| Centrum | 21:51 [B] | 21:59 [D] | '1' | DPB tram 7122 |
| Pod stanicou | 22:07 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: Bratislava tram system, except for curve and depot access line done tomorrow morning. | ||||
| Overnight: Hotel Matyšák, Pražská 15, Bratislava (1 night) 10 minutes walk from Bratislava Hlavná Stanica | ||||
| Notes: Today's planned coverage of the Bratislava tram system was made slightly more difficult by it being a national holiday - the "Day of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows", the patron saint of Slovakia. This meant that a Sunday service was operating: fortunately this is still quite frequent. I was able to cover two of the tram system's "rare curves" in the evening, leaving one curve and the Jurajov dvor depot access line, until tomorrow morning. |
||||
Tuesday 16 September 2025
| Hlavná Stanica | 08:41 [1] | (J) | DPB tram 7116 Note (J): showing destination "depo Jurajov dvor" | |
| Via curve to Blumentál then line 9 curves to Krížna | ||||
| Depo Jurajov dvor | 09:01 | short walk back to main road | ||
| Jurajov dvor | 09:10 | '4' | DPB tram 7410 | |
| Trnavské mýto | 09:21 | 09:28 | '71' | DPB trolleybus 6916 |
| Hlavná Stanica | 09:32 | 10:30 [H] | Slovak lines bus | |
| Vienna Airport | 11:20 [05] | |||
| Vienna (VIE) | 13:40 | FR694 | Ryanair 9H-QCE B737-8AS bus from gate D32, start moving 13:47, take-off 13:55 from runway 34 | |
| Manchester (MAN) | 15:10 | landed 15:13 on runway 23R, on stand 54 15:19 | ||
| The Station | 15:46 [K] | '288' | bus | |
| Altrincham Interchange | 16:14 [B] | 16:23 [1] | - | Metrolink tram 3024+3050 |
| Timperley | 16:27 | Today's photos | ||
| New passenger track today: remaing curve and Jurajov dvor depot line on Bratislava tram system. | ||||
| Notes: Covering the final available curve and the Jurajov dvor depot line. By far the quickest way from Bratislava to Vienna Airport is by the direct bus service. |
||||
| Summary: An excellent long weekend which fulfilled all my objectives. Tickets used: Three day single-country InterRail for Austria, though I only used two days of it. Otherwise, single tickets as required. Weather: Sunny and rainy on alternate days..... |