170th anniversary of Vienna-Brno railway: a vital European rail link with a future

The railway line between Vienna and the Czech Centrope metropolis of Brno celebrates its 170th anniversary this month. This history of this train route also reflects that of Europe. The construction of a railway junction in Brno is designed to ensure that this important rail link continues to play a key role in the future too.

Today the railway line from Vienna to Brno is one of the most significant routes in Central Europe. Trains like the legendary “Vindobona” travel this line from Vienna to Prague, and onward to Berlin and Hamburg. The Czech Republic’s high-speed “Pendolino” train speeds along the line between Prague and Vienna through the hilly landscape between Brno, Břeclav and Vienna. Very few travellers are aware of the fact that historically this route was only planned as a “branch line”.

From branch line to main transport route

When the first steam locomotive arrived in Brno from Vienna on 7 July 1839, the railway was just a branch line of the so-called Emperor Ferdinand Northern Railway from Vienna to today’s Polish town of Bochnia. The rail link was financed by the banking house of Rothschild, and the project manager of the branch line to Brno was Carl Ghega, who subsequently received a knighthood for the construction of the Semmering railway. Construction work lasted two years and employed some 14,000 labourers.

Second track

Yet another milestone was the improvement of the section between Vienna and Břeclav with a second track. However, the journey to Brno continued on a single-track line until the year 1936. The Brno-Vienna line subsequently reflected the history of Central Europe, and the line lost its significance with the establishment of the Iron Curtain. Passenger traffic moved instead to the line from Prague to Vienna via Gmünd (the Franz Joseph Railway). The trains running on this route (like the “Vindobona”) were used primarily by diplomats, and were subject to strict border controls. New life was injected into the Vienna-Brno railway line following the Velvet Revolution 20 years ago and the revival of traffic between Austria and the Czech Republic. The corridor was modernized between the years 1997 and 2000, as a result of which trains can now travel at speeds of up to 160 km/h on the Czech section. The “Vindobona" has run on the Prague-Brno-Vienna line since the 1990s.

New locomotives and higher speeds

It goes without saying that a railway journey from Vienna to Brno today bears no resemblance to the first trips 170 years ago. Whereas in the year 1839 the journey took around 4.5 hours at an average speed of 30 km/h, today's Eurocity trains cover the distance of 150 kilometres in just one and a half hours. And instead of the original steam engines, today you will find the “Pendolino” tilting train and the Austrian “Taurus” locomotive speeding through the landscape.

Brno “Europoint” to provide impetus for the future

Thanks to the “Brno Europoint” railway junction project, the railway line between Vienna and Brno will continue to play a key role for the "Centrope" region, and to be a vital transport link in Central Europe. The project is designed to enhance the accessibility of the Moravian capital and its function as a traffic hub, and involves the modernization of the railway line through the city and improved links with key European railway corridors. After Prague, Brno railway junction will be the most important in the Czech Republic, as well as being one of three vital nodes in the “Centrope” triangle of Vienna-Bratislava-Brno. At an EU level, Brno is one of the few European cities that lies on two railway links belonging to the “Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)“. This is why the project has been given the name "Europoint".

Massive modernization plans

The project for the modernization of Brno railway junction is comparable with that of Vienna’s BahnhofCity. Apart from its railway infrastructure – a total of 13 kilometres of new line will be constructed – a new urban district known as the “Centre South” will also come into being. “The implementation of important infrastructure projects like the ‘Brno’ Europoint’ will not only make a major contribution to the economic development of the city and the entire region, but also increase their competitiveness,” stresses Marie Zezulková, head of the City of Brno’s Office of Urban Development Strategy.

A shared history and a shared future

“Brno and Vienna’s shared history and geographical proximity offer a suitable starting point for an effective cooperation in the realization of infrastructure projects,” explains Zezulková with reference to a joint memorandum between Vienna and Brno dating from the year 2006 and detailing mutual support and coordination for important trans-European railway projects. Marie Zezulková is confident that “In view of its international character, the ‘Brno Europoint’ project will make a major contribution to intensifying relations between the two partner cities and cooperation throughout the entire ‘Centrope’ region.”