en.Wedoany.com Reported - The state of Styria has decided to electrify the narrow-gauge Murtalbahn railway and procure electric multiple units (EMUs) for it. This narrow-gauge railway in the Austrian state of Styria, with a track gauge of 760 mm, connects Unzmarkt and Tamsweg.

Although the rolling stock currently operating on this line has been fully refurbished, it is expected to reach the end of its technical service life in the mid-2030s. To address this, the operator plans to procure five new railcars. Due to the extreme rarity of the 760 mm gauge and the small fleet size, individual procurement of new or used vehicles is currently not feasible under market conditions.

Operators of the 760 mm gauge lines—the Zillertalbahn, Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, and Murtalbahn—have decided to jointly procure 17 EMUs. "This creates a market, lowers unit prices, and generates future synergies," said Claudia Holzer, the Styrian regional councilor for transport and infrastructure. "The working group is currently finalizing the tender documents."

To launch the joint tender, the Murtalbahn's infrastructure must be expanded and electrified, which requires financing commitments from the federal government and the state of Salzburg.

To secure investment, the state government will hold further negotiations with the federal government and the state of Salzburg regarding the electrification of the Murtalbahn, the procurement of EMUs, and Styria's share of the funding amounting to €169 million. Styria's approval of project funding is entirely contingent on the federal government and the state of Salzburg providing co-financing in accordance with current funding rules.

In addition to vehicle procurement, costs include line electrification, depot and workshop modifications, and route modernization. These works will reduce the travel time from Unzmarkt to Murau from 36 minutes to 24 minutes.

A ten-year public transport service contract with Steiermarkbahn und Bus GmbH (StB) is valid until 2030. This contract covers operations on the Murtalbahn between Unzmarkt, Murau, Predlitz, and Tamsweg, with plans for future renewal.

The Murtalbahn has a track gauge of 760 mm; currently, only a few railway lines in Austria, such as the Zillertalbahn and Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, still use this gauge.

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