Köflach railway line

Railway line in Austria

Graz
Köflach

Stations16ServiceServices

Operator(s)Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb [de]HistoryOpened3 April 1860 (1860-04-03)TechnicalLine length40.2 km (25.0 mi)Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gaugeHighest elevation448 m (1,470 ft)

Route map

Legend

Southern railway line

0.0

Graz

363 m (AA)

Southern railway line

0.6

Graz Köflacherbahnhof [de]

2.8

Graz Wetzelsdorf

4.9

Graz Webling

6.4

Graz Straßgang

349 m

11.1

Premstätten-Tobelbad

360 m

Doblbach

15.9

Lieboch

336 m

Wieserbahn [de]

Liebochbach

18.2

Lieboch Schadendorf

21.7

Söding-Mooskirchen

24.7

Köppling

Kainach

27.5

Krottendorf-Ligist

359 m

29.5

Gaisfeld

Teigitsch

Kremser tunnel (103 m)

31.6

Krems in Steiermark

33.9

Voitsberg

396 m

Kainach 2x

36.1

0.0

Bärnbach

1.6

Oberdorf in Steiermark

Rosental tunnel (244 m)

Gradnerbach

40.2

Köflach

451 m (AA)

Source^[1]

This diagram:

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The Köflach railway line (German: Köflacherbahn) is a standard gauge railway line in the province of Styria in Austria. It runs 40.2 kilometres (25.0 mi) from a junction with the Southern railway line at Graz Hauptbahnhof to Köflach. Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb [de] (GKB) owns and operates the line.

History

The Graz-Köflacher Eisenbahn- und Bergbaugesellschaft [de] (lit. 'Graz-Köflach Railway and Mining Company') was established in 1856 to construct a railway line from Köflach to Graz.^[2] The line opened for goods traffic on 3 April 1860; passenger service began on 1 November.^[3] The Wieserbahn [de], which branches off south from the line at Lieboch, opened on 8 April 1873.^[4] Ownership of the line was transferred to ÖBB in 2024 as part of plans to electrify and modernize both lines.^[5]

Route

The line originates at Graz Hauptbahnhof, on the west side of Graz, and runs south to Lieboch, where the Wieserbahn continues south. The line then turns west and follows the Kainach river to Bärnbach. At Bärnbach, it crosses the Kainach and follows the Gradnerbach [de] tributary to Köflach.^[1]

Operation

Graz-Köflacher Bahn und Busbetrieb [de] (GKB) operates two services of the Styria S-Bahn over the line. The S7 operates hourly, with additional service on weekdays, over the entire line between Graz and Köflach. The S61 provides additional service via Lieboch to Wies-Eibiswald via the Wieserbahn.^[6]

Stations

Name	Locality	Coordinates
Graz Hauptbahnhof	Graz	47°4′19″N 15°25′1″E / 47.07194°N 15.41694°E / 47.07194; 15.41694 (Graz Hauptbahnhof)
Graz Köflacherbahnhof [de]		47°4′6″N 15°24′50″E / 47.06833°N 15.41389°E / 47.06833; 15.41389 (Graz Köflacherbahnhof)
Graz Wetzelsdorf		47°3′5″N 15°24′5″E / 47.05139°N 15.40139°E / 47.05139; 15.40139 (Graz Wetzelsdorf)
Graz Webling		47°1′56″N 15°24′21″E / 47.03222°N 15.40583°E / 47.03222; 15.40583 (Graz Webling)
Graz Straßgang		47°1′15″N 15°24′20″E / 47.02083°N 15.40556°E / 47.02083; 15.40556 (Graz Straßgang)
Premstätten-Tobelbad	Premstätten	46°58′47″N 15°23′28″E / 46.97972°N 15.39111°E / 46.97972; 15.39111 (Premstätten-Tobelbad)
Lieboch	Lieboch	46°58′7″N 15°20′44″E / 46.96861°N 15.34556°E / 46.96861; 15.34556 (Lieboch)
Lieboch Schadendorf	Lieboch	46°58′47″N 15°19′3″E / 46.97972°N 15.31750°E / 46.97972; 15.31750 (Lieboch Schadendorf)
Söding-Mooskirchen	Söding-Sankt Johann	46°59′49″N 15°16′58″E / 46.99694°N 15.28278°E / 46.99694; 15.28278 (Söding-Mooskirchen)
Köppling	Söding-Sankt Johann	47°0′11″N 15°14′38″E / 47.00306°N 15.24389°E / 47.00306; 15.24389 (Köppling)
Krottendorf-Ligist	Krottendorf-Gaisfeld	47°0′35″N 15°12′52″E / 47.00972°N 15.21444°E / 47.00972; 15.21444 (Krottendorf-Ligist)
Gaisfeld	Krottendorf-Gaisfeld	47°1′17″N 15°11′50″E / 47.02139°N 15.19722°E / 47.02139; 15.19722 (Gaisfeld)
Krems in Steiermark	Voitsberg	47°1′58″N 15°10′32″E / 47.03278°N 15.17556°E / 47.03278; 15.17556 (Krems in Steiermark)
Voitsberg	Voitsberg	47°2′36″N 15°9′1″E / 47.04333°N 15.15028°E / 47.04333; 15.15028 (Voitsberg)
Bärnbach	Bärnbach	47°3′21″N 15°7′47″E / 47.05583°N 15.12972°E / 47.05583; 15.12972 (Bärnbach)
Köflach	Köflach	47°3′42″N 15°4′58″E / 47.06167°N 15.08278°E / 47.06167; 15.08278 (Köflach)

Notes

^ ^a ^b Eisenbahnatlas Österreich [Austrian railway atlas] (in German) (3rd ed.). Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2021. pp. 82–83, 101. ISBN 978-3-89494-150-5.
^ Kupka 1888, p. 187.
^ Kupka 1888, p. 188.
^ "Die Eröffnung der Bahn Lieboch-Wies". Deutsche Zeitung [de] (in German). 11 April 1873.
^ "Styrian Western Railway". ÖBB-Infrastuktur AG. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
^ "Fahrplan Bahn 2022 / 2023". www.gkb.at (in Austrian German). Retrieved 4 September 2023.

References

Kupka, Peter Friedrich (1888). Die Eisenbahnen Österreich-Ungarns, 1822-1867 [The Railways of Austria-Hungary, 1822-1867] (in German). Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot.