Struggle for an end
Feistritztalbahn: Steam rises once again
It was bad news for fans of the Feistritztalbahn in Eastern Styria: the Birkfeld local council gave the green light for the extension of the B 72 - and at the same time showed the historic train the stop sign. We were allowed on board for a test run and interviewed rail enthusiasts and local councillors.
Black smoke rises into the steel-blue sky as we arrive at Birkfeld station on this late summer's day, and it smells as if a charcoal barbecue is being fired up for a cozy summer party. Stoker Reinhard Kares shovels more coal into the flaming boiler of the nostalgic steam locomotive built in 1894, and once again dark clouds rise into the air: a spectacle for all the senses that was only commonplace for our ancestors. "The coal-black creature" - this is how the great Styrian local poet Peter Rosegger described a "steam carriage" - is one of three historic traction engines that steamed along the Feistritztalbahn line between Birkfeld, Anger and Weiz for decades.
However, after the accident around a year ago in which two wagons derailed, they are waiting at the siding. However, there is no question of the popular narrow-gauge railroad coming to a standstill: Numerous volunteers have taken advantage of the forced break and put thousands of hours of work into repairing the line in Eastern Styria.
"Krone" on a test run
"We replaced 400 sleepers, removed vegetation along the tracks, cleaned tunnel portals and cleared away fallen trees," reports Daniel Maier, Chairman of the U44 Club - an association that has been campaigning for the preservation of the cultural monument, which was opened in 1911, since the 1970s. Maier shows the "Krone" that the train is far from rusty and is fully operational: he takes the red flag in his hand and gives his engine driver Reinhard Kares the signal to start.
After a shrill whistle, we rattle along in one of the old carriages until we reach an imposing viaduct on the line. The structure - the first in the Danube monarchy to be built entirely of reinforced concrete - is a listed building, as is the other railroad infrastructure. "The construction was a pioneering achievement," says Maier, as the dreamlike backdrop of the wildly romantic Feistritz Valley passes us by.
"Want to preserve the monument in its entirety"
13-year-old Sebastian Handler, who prefers to spend his free time on the Feistritz Valley Railway, is at the front of the train today. "It is important to us that the monument is preserved in its entirety," emphasizes Maier during the trip. The Birkfeld municipal council's decision the previous week was a "setback" for the railroad fans, as the chairman says, "but nothing changes for us, we are continuing with all the work."
The association is concerned with a "peaceful coexistence" of railroad, road and cycle path. The association is on the best of terms with the BH Weiz regarding various operating requirements.
The expansion of the B 72 is an absolute priority for us, the road is our lifeline. With this decision, we can secure the money from the state for this.
Vizebürgermeister Karl Schneeflock
Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz
Deputy mayor: "B 72 is the lifeline of the region"
We meet Deputy Mayor Karl Schneeflock at Birkfeld town hall. Following the local authority's decision to expand the B 72 and abandon the Feistritztalbahn in order to do so, political tensions ran high. The FPÖ and the Greens mobilized.
"For us, the expansion of the B 72 is a priority, the road is our lifeline," said the ÖVP politician, explaining the decision to secure the money from the state's transport department. Landslides and accidents are already leading to repeated road closures. With the sanctus of the mandataries, it might even be possible to bring about a resolution in the state parliament this year.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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