Arlberg Railway Tunnel

The Arlberg Railway Tunnel lies deep beneath the Arlberg massif in the Rhaetian Alps, linking the Austrian provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Completed in 1884, it was Austria’s longest railway tunnel for more than a century, stretching 10,216 metres through limestone, gneiss and mica schist. Engineers built it wide enough for double tracks from the start, expecting heavy traffic. Steam trains once filled the bore with sulphuric acid vapour, forcing crews to lie low until electric traction arrived in the 1920s. A parallel road tunnel now runs 150 metres away, sharing the mountain’s interior. The tunnel carries up to ninety trains daily, moving several million tonnes of freight each year. Its top speed is 100 kilometres per hour, making it a vital link for Austrian Federal Railways. In the 2010s the bore was closed for safety upgrades costing 210 million euros. Seven new evacuation passages were cut to the road tunnel, along with fire-fighting water mains, emergency lighting and radio points. The track bed was lowered to widen the loading gauge, and a permanent road surface laid so rescue vehicles can enter quickly. Visitors cannot walk inside the tunnel, but the surrounding railway stations offer views of its portals. St Anton am Arlberg station sits at the western entrance, while Langen am Arlberg marks the eastern end. The mountain scenery above changes with the seasons, from summer hiking trails to winter ski runs. Nearby peaks reach heights where the air feels thin, yet the tunnel keeps two provinces connected below.