Last ÖBB Cable Car Handed Over To Vienna Technical Museum

For over 70 years, the only ÖBB passenger cable car in Salzburg's Stubach Valley was in service, making history in the process. Almost two years after its final run, ÖBB has now handed over parts of the historic Stubach-Weißsee Railway to the Vienna Technical Museum (TMW), where the distinctive ÖBB red cable car will be on display in the permanent Mobility exhibition. At the same time, preparations for the special exhibition marking 200 Years of Railways, which will begin this fall, are in full swing.

• ÖBB gondola of the historic Stubach-Weißsee Railway unveiled at the Vienna Technical Museum
• Unique piece to be seen in the permanent mobility exhibition

A unique Salzburg piece moves to Vienna

For almost 100 years, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have been producing 100% green traction power in the Stubachtal valley in Pinzgau. As part of the expansion of the power plant group, construction began in 1948 on a new works cable car – a technical masterpiece. Since its commissioning in 1951, the aerial tramway has transported people and the goods required for the expansion to the two reservoirs, Tauernmoossee and Weißsee. For three decades, it was even used for public transport – a unique feature in ÖBB history. Public transport only came to an end after the construction of a tourist cable car project to Weißsee. Since then, the cable car has been maintained as a private works railway to access the power plant group's headwater facilities.

As part of the expansion of the Stubachtal power plant group, an access tunnel was built to accommodate trucks and special transports, allowing maintenance and repair work to be carried out regardless of the weather. This meant that the cable car was no longer required for power plant operations. It officially completed its last run on August 31, 2023, after which the railway facilities were partially dismantled. The areas thus freed up will be renaturalized in the coming years. With its relocation to the Vienna Technical Museum, the next chapter in the eventful history of ÖBB's only cable car to date begins.

"The Stubach-Weißsee Railway is not only a technical masterpiece, but has also safely transported people and goods in the Stubach Valley for decades. We are delighted to preserve this unique ÖBB railway for future generations by handing it over to the Vienna Technical Museum, thus making the sustainable importance of our infrastructure visible to all," says Johann Pluy, CEO of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG.

A cable car on rails

The Stubach-Weißsee cable car was not only the only passenger cable car operated by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways), but also featured a unique technical feature: At the mid-station, the goods carried in the gondola cabin could be lowered and transported via a double-track rail system with a manual switch to the second section, before being reattached to the carriage toward the top station. This innovation is also one of the reasons why the gondola is now on display in the TMW's permanent mobility exhibition.

"We are delighted to be able to add this extraordinary object to our collection thanks to the donation from the ÖBB. With this gondola, we can bring a piece of Austrian transport history closer to TMW visitors and give them a taste of the special exhibition this autumn marking the 200th anniversary of the railway," said Peter Aufreiter, General Director of TMW.

From autumn at the TMW: Special exhibition on 200 years of railways

In 1825, the first public railway line opened in England. To mark this 200th anniversary, a special exhibition will open at the Vienna Technical Museum in autumn 2025. Using impressive railway models from the museum's extensive collection, it traces the success story of these rail vehicles, draws connections to current events, and looks into the future. In five different exhibition chapters, visitors learn why timekeeping was an invention of railway workers and how this now indispensable means of transport has influenced people, society, and even our language. The exhibition tells the story of the democratization of travel, conveys the complexity behind the infrastructure, and, in addition to the unique models, entertains with a media installation and other interactive elements.

ÖBB cable car

• Aerial tramway with mid-station
• 2 tonnes max. load
• 6 m/s max. speed
• 4 passenger and 6 material gondolas
• Approx. 3,100 metres total length
• Approx. 850 metres elevation difference
• Now retired