Ausserfern Railway

Ausserfern Railway
Map of the Ausserfern railway line
Overview
Other name(s)	Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Kempten Railway
Native name	Außerfernbahn
Status	Operational
Owner	DB Netz (Germany) Austrian Federal Railways (Austria)
Line number	5452 (Garmisch-Partenkirchen–border) 352 01 (border–Reutte–border) 5403 (border–Kempten)
Locale	Bavaria in Germany Tyrol in Austria
Termini	Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany Kempten, Germany
Stations	31
Service
Route number	973 (Western part), 965 (Eastern part) (DB) 410 (ÖBB)
Operator(s)	DB Regio Bayern
History
Opened	Stages between 1895-1913
Technical
Line length	93.9 km (58.3 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	15 kV/16.7 Hz AC Overhead line (Garmisch-Partenkirchen – Reutte)
Operating speed	70 km/h (43 mph)
Maximum incline	3.75 %
Route map Legend km elev from Munich 0.000 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 708 m Mittenwald Railway to Innsbruck 1.242 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Hausberg former Hausbergbahn 2.100 Rießersee 3.100 Bavarian Zugspitze Railway 3.400 Kreuzeck Railway 4.700 Obergrainau 5.458 Untergrainau 740 m 13.266 Griesen (Oberbay) 821 m 14.846 30.445 German–Austrian state border 29.200 Schober (closed on 29 May 1960) 27.600 Schanz turnout 25.900 Schanz (closed on 26 September 1971) 23.300 Ehrwald Zugspitze Cable Car 974 m 20.400 Lermoos 1004 m 19.000 Lermoos Tunnel (105,6 m) 16.400 Lähn 1106 m 13.100 Bichlbach-Berwang 1072 m 11.600 Bichlbach-Almkopf Railway 8.800 Heiterwang-Plansee 1012 m 6.900 Thanellerkar (closed on 7 November 1966) 5.000 Katzenberg Tunnel (512,5 m) 3.600 Bad Kreckelmoos 938 m 0.500 Reutte in Tyrol Schulzentrum 0.000 14.390 Reutte in Tyrol 850 m 12.000 Pflach 840 m 7.600 Musau 822 m 6.400 Ulrichsbrücke-Füssen 814 m 3.900 Vils 817 m 0.500 Schönbichl 831 m 0.000 34.300 Austro–German state border 33.000 Pfronten-Steinach 841 m 30.700 Pfronten-Ried 858 m 29.300 Pfronten-Weißbach 874 m 27.000 Pfronten-Kappel 23.900 Nesselwang 864 m 21.600 Maria Rain 19.800 Wertach-Haslach 891 m 17.600 Oy-Mittelberg 13.600 Zollhaus-Petersthal 909 m 12.000 Bodelsberg 8.400 Jodbad Sulzbrunn (station until 2008) 818 m 6.900 Sulzberg 3.900 Durach 1.800 St Mang (formerly Kottern-Neudorf) to the former Kempten Hauptbahnhof (to 1969) Neu-Ulm–Kempten railway from Memmingen and Buchloe–Lindau railway from Kaufbeuren (since 1969) Neu-Ulm–Kempten railway / Buchloe–Lindau railway (until 1969) Iller old trackbed (to 1969) 0.400 Kempten (Allg) Hbf (since 1969) 705 m 0.000 Kempten (Allg) Hbf (until 1969) to Isny from the old Kempten Hbf (to 1969) to Lindau km elev Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Ausserfern Railway (German: Außerfernbahn) is a cross-border railway line in the German state of Bavaria and the Austrian state of Tyrol. The single-tracked branch line starts from Kempten in Germany, before crossing into Austria just after passing through Pfronten. It then transits the Außerfern area around Reutte, before passing back into Germany in order to terminate at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The line provides the only rail access to Reutte and the Außerfern, albeit one that requires any journey to or from the rest of Austria to pass through German territory. The line connects with the Mittenwald Railway and the Munich–Garmisch-Partenkirchen railway at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with the former providing a link to the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck. It connects with the Buchloe–Lindau railway and the Neu-Ulm–Kempten railway at Kempten.

The line was built in stages, between 1895 and 1913. Although the Austrian section of the line is maintained by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), all train services are operated by Deutsche Bahn (DB).