The Lower Austrian Transport Organization Company (NÖVOG) has expanded its infrastructure fleet for the maintenance of the Mariazell Railway. A new motor tower car was delivered to the Alpenbahnhof depot in St. Pölten yesterday. The special vehicle, ordered from the Austrian company Plasser & Theurer, is now being prepared for line approval. Another permanent way car is scheduled to follow in autumn 2024. With these two vehicles, NÖVOG aims to significantly increase the efficiency and independence of maintenance work along the 84-kilometer-long narrow-gauge line.
According to Lower Austria's Minister of Transport, Udo Landbauer, the state is investing €7,2 million in the modernization of the over 115-year-old single-track line. The goal is to secure and improve the Mariazell Railway's long-term position as a central transport link in the Pielach Valley. The new vehicles will enable faster and more autonomous maintenance work.
The track car, which will be delivered in autumn 2024, is already being used in the ongoing spring work. It is intended for track superstructure maintenance, lifting and loading activities, green waste removal, and snow removal in winter. Once approved, the new motor tower car will primarily be used for the installation and maintenance of overhead lines.
NÖVOG Managing Directors Wolfgang Schroll and Michael Hasenöhrl emphasize that the new vehicles represent a further step toward future-oriented infrastructure measures. By using domestic technology from Plasser & Theurer, they are committed to quality and efficiency in the maintenance of the historic railway line.
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