The Floridsdorfer Hochbahn (), also known as the Italian Loop, is a freight-only railway line in
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
. It runs between and , connecting the
Northwest railway line and
North railway line.
Route
The northwest end of Floridsdorfer Hochbahn is at on the
Northwest railway line. The line proceeds eastward over elevated tracks through
Floridsdorf
Floridsdorf (; ) is the 21st district of Vienna, Austria (''21. Bezirk''). Located north of the Danube, it comprises former villages such as Floridsdorf, Donaufeld, Jedlesee, Leopoldau, Stammersdorf, Strebersdorf, and Groß-Jedlersdorf. With a pop ...
, eventually crossing over the
North railway line approximately east of . The line joins with the North railway line at .
History
Planning for a connecting line between the North and Northwest railway lines began before
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, but assumed a heightened importance as military rail traffic grew in Vienna. Construction work began in May 1916, with the line opening for traffic on 1 December of the same year. Thousands of Italian
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
from the worked on the line, leading to the nickname "Italian Loop."
The line was
bombed several times during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and wrecked by retreating German forces during the 1945
Vienna offensive
The Vienna offensive was an offensive launched by the Soviet 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts in order to capture Vienna, Austria, during World War II. The offensive lasted from 16 March to 15 April 1945. After several days of street-to-street figh ...
.
Rebuilding the line following the war was not practical because of the postwar shortage of building materials. Reconstruction of the line finally began on 2 September 1996. Service resumed on 29 May 1999.
Notes
References
* {{cite journal , last1=Krapfenbauer , first1=Robert , last2=Steiner , first2=Kurt , last3=Eisele , first3=Robert , title=Die Reaktivierung der Floridsdorfer Hochbahn , journal={{ill, Beton- und Stahlbetonbau, de , volume=94 , issue=11 , date=November 1999 , pages=483–489 , issn=0005-9900
Railway lines in Austria
Railway lines opened in 1916