The Murtalbahn is a narrow-gauge railway which runs from the market town of Unzmarkt through Murau

Murau

Murau is the capital of the district of the same name in Styria, located along the Mur river. It has a population of 2,331.-History:The area was already settled in the Bronze Age and Roman time, for the first time document which mentioned Murau was in the year 1250.During the Second World War a...

 to Tamsweg

Tamsweg

Tamsweg is a market town in the Austrian state of Salzburg near the border with Styria. It is the administrative centre of the eponymous district and the largest town of the Lungau region...

 in the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n state of Styria although Tamsweg is just inside the federal state of Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

. The railway is operated by Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (a railway operator owned by the Bundesland Styria) and, at 65 kilometres, is the second 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 traffic was stopped on the section between Tamsweg and Mauterndorf. This section is operated today by Club 760 under the name Taurachbahn

Taurachbahn

The Taurachbahn is a narrow-gauge museum railway in the Austrian state of Salzburg.-History:The Taurachbahn uses the section of the Murtalbahn from Tamsweg to Mauterndorf, which was closed for economic reasons in 1981 after heavy damage to a bridge. The section was revived as a museum railway by...

 as a museum railway.

Special steam trains and amateur locomotive trips still operate over the route.

Operation

Five diesel-electric railcar

Railcar

A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...

s, introduced in 1981, are used to operate a service every two hours over the Murtalbahn. 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, with trains hauled by diesel locomotives VL 14 and 15, built in 1966. Timber and petroleum tankers are the major goods transported.

The STLB invested in the railway, and the infrastructure is maintained to the standard of standard gauge

Standard gauge

The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 mainline routes. There are good positions for photography by railway enthusiasts along the whole route, particularly in the valley between Madling and Tamsweg.

Museum

A museum is maintained in the locomotive shed at Frojach Katschtal station by Club 760.