Arlbergbahn

What it is

The Arlbergbahn is ÖBB’s main west to east line across the Arlberg massif, linking Tyrol and Vorarlberg and carrying the Vienna to Innsbruck to Zurich railjet mainline through a full timetable of regional and long distance trains. It is also the principal winter access route to St Anton am Arlberg, one of the best known ski towns in Austria, and the line most travellers from Zurich or Munich take to reach the wider Arlberg region. At Innsbruck the line meets the Brennerbahn, so travellers arriving from Munich or Salzburg can change there for the crossing south towards Italy.

Why this line

1. A commonly cited rail infrastructure figure puts its length at 136.7 km; ÖBB’s own pages do not print a total distance.
2. The line’s summit is commonly given as about 1310 m, at the top of the 10.25 km Arlberg Tunnel, though ÖBB does not print either figure on an official page.
3. St Anton am Arlberg station is commonly reported at roughly 1300 m, close to the tunnel summit, which is part of why the resort has such direct rail access.
4. It is a full mainline, not a seasonal tourist service, so it carries freight and long distance trains alongside the regional and ski traffic.
5. Demand is heaviest in the winter ski season, when St Anton and the wider Arlberg resorts pull in far more traffic than the mainline sees the rest of the year.

Practical

No reservation is required for regular railjet or regional service on this line, unlike the panoramic tourist trains elsewhere in the Alps. Railjet trains carry standard and first class, with the usual optional seat reservation available on booking rather than a requirement. The tunnel itself removes most of the view for a long stretch regardless of seat choice.

Gateways on the line

Innsbruck is the eastern end and the main Tyrol hub, with onward connections south over the Brenner and east towards Salzburg and Vienna. Landeck-Zams and Oetztal lie between Innsbruck and the Arlberg Tunnel, Oetztal also the junction for the Otztal valley bus routes. St Anton am Arlberg sits at the western portal of the tunnel, the principal ski gateway on the line. Langen am Arlberg and Bludenz follow further west, Bludenz the western end of the route and the junction for Vorarlberg and onward services towards Zurich and Lake Constance.