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Specific Q/A re Semmering train btwn Graz and Wien

Posted by (Easley, SC, USA) on

I'm looking for some fairly specific info on the Semmering rail route between Graz and Wien.

I'm adept at planning and booking train trips online. I've done train trips in Austria many times. Right now, what I can't tell, specifically, from the websites I've looked at re the Semmering route, and the OBB website, is this:

Is the scenic route everyone is talking about when we discuss the Semmering train trip one that uses the regular OBB trains and tracks on the route between Graz (and intermediate stops enroute; my point isn't about specific stops per se) and Vienna?

OR

is it necessary to disembark at some spot along that regular OBB route between Graz and Wien and switch to a scenic train that only does the scenic part of the route, perhaps even on separate tracks?

What I'm really trying to figure out is: can I just book regular OBB point to point trains from, say, Salzburg to a town enroute, such as Bruck an der Mur, and then from Bruck an der Mur to Wien, and that will take me along the scenic route I want to travel, or do I need to do it differently?

I honestly can't tell, and that's what I'm trying to learn right now. I hope someone can answer the specific question I'm asking, as well as sharing any other pertinent information about the trip that anyone cares to share.

Thx.

Posted by
782 posts

I took the scenic route which is the only route from Vienna to Murschlag on the Rail Jet which is one stop past Semmering and that is where the train museum is for the Semmering,if you are into trains this is for you,I really enjoyed it.this train goes from Vienna to Graz via Semmering Pass.
Mike

Posted by
2284 posts

The scenic route across the Semmering mountain is currently the only one when going between Graz and Vienna. Effective 2027 all express trains will go through a tunnel of about 20 miles length which is under construction since the past 5 years.

can I just book regular OBB point to point trains from, say, Salzburg to a town enroute, such as Bruck an der Mur, and then from Bruck an der Mur to Wien, and that will take me along the scenic route I want to travel

The answer is yes. All RailJet trains make a stop at Bruck an der Mur and Mürzzuschlag, where the Semmering railroad museum is. The Semmering route was the first mountain railroad ever built, opened in 1854, when there were even scientists who believed that the trains would slide backwards when going uphill. The whole route was built without using steel (except for the rails), all bridges and tunnels are made of bricks and mortar.

The Semmering route is now an UNESCO World Heritage Site:
http://www.suedbahnmuseum.at/english/home/

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