Salzburg-Tyrol railway line

The Salzburg-Tiroler-Bahn is a main railway line in Austria running from Salzburg through North Tyrol to Wörgl. It follows the Salzach valley, passing through towns such as Hallein, Bischofshofen, St. Johann im Pongau, Schwarzach-St. Veit, Zell am See, Hochfilzen, St. Johann in Tirol, Kitzbühel and Kufstein. The line connects at Wörgl with the Lower Inn Valley Railway towards Innsbruck and the German border. It forms part of the core network of the Austrian Federal Railways and includes a section operated as the Salzburg S-Bahn. The railway was built between 1873 and 1875 and named after Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth. It was later linked to the Western Railway from Vienna to Salzburg, forming the Empress Elisabeth Railway. The line was electrified in 1930 and upgraded to double track by the mid-20th century. During the Second World War it was targeted by Allied bombing due to its strategic role. Today it remains the only east–west railway through Tyrol entirely on Austrian soil. Passengers travel through scenic Alpine landscapes with steep hills and tight curves. The line serves regional services connecting Innsbruck with Klagenfurt and Graz, and carries sleeping-car trains. Between Salzburg and Golling-Abtenau trains run every half-hour on the S3 line, while the S6 serves the Wörgl to Saalfelden section. The railway also feeds traffic to the Tauern Railway across the Hohe Tauern range.