The Überetsch Railway (german: Überetscher Bahn; it, Transatesina) connected
Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...
with the
Mendel Funicular. This line was part of a rail sightseeing tour around the
Mendelpass. The tour was made up of five railway lines and was often used by tourists.
Track
Just after the station of Bolzano the track branched off from the
Brennerbahn and ran along the
Eisack river. The line crossed the
Talfer
The Talfer (; it, Talvera) is a river located in South Tyrol, Italy. It flows into the Eisack in Bolzano
Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in norther ...
river and after two small stations (Ponte Roma and Ponte Resia) the line became split: one track proceeded to
Meran
Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...
and further to the
Vinschgerbahn and one track branched away leftwards toward the low mountain range plateau of Überetsch. After a long bridge over the
Adige
The Adige (; german: Etsch ; vec, Àdexe ; rm, Adisch ; lld, Adesc; la, Athesis; grc, Ἄθεσις, Áthesis, or , ''Átagis'') is the second-longest river in Italy, after the Po. It rises near the Reschen Pass in the Vinschgau in the pro ...
river, the line got steeper and after two short tunnels reached the
Überetsch plateau. Here the trains only stopped in
Eppan,
Kaltern and Sankt Anton, near the Mendel Funicular station. The strange thing was, that the track to the Sankt Anton station left the mainline before it arrived to the Kaltern station, so the trains had to run to Kaltern station, drive back to the switch, change driving direction again and then go further to the Sankt Anton station.
History
The railroad had been built to reach the Überetsch plateau more easily. The two biggest villages on the plateau Kaltern and Eppan are to this day important tourist destinations. The railroad made it easier to get tourists to the villages and the wine from the villages to the station of Bolzano, where it was loaded onto international freight trains.
Today
The line was finally abandoned on June 28, 1971.
At the Eppan station, the tracks were replaced by a new street to guide traffic around the village. In the early 2000s, parts of the line were converted to a bicycle trail. Due to the number of bicycle riders, the roads from Bolzano towards the Überetsch plateau are jammed by traffic, and officials in Kaltern/Caldaro and Eppan/Appiano are supporting the idea to reactivate the line as a commuter.
Gallery
Image:BhfEppanUeberetscherBahn.jpg, Eppan station
Image:BhfKalternUeberetschbahn.jpg, Kaltern station
Image:DetailUeberetschbahn.jpg, Detail Eppan station
Image:RemiseUeberetschbahn.jpg, Garage at the Kaltern station
Literature
* Josef Dultinger: ''Vergessene Vergangenheit''. Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
* Josef Dultinger: ''Auf schmaler Spur durch Südtirol''. Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uberetsch Railway
Railway lines in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Transport in South Tyrol