Wels Hauptbahnhof, occasionally Wels Central Station or Wels central station is a railway station at
Wels
Wels (; Central Bavarian: ''Wös'') is a city in Upper Austria, on the Traun River near Linz. It is the county seat of Wels-Land, and with a population of approximately 60,000, the eighth largest city in Austria.
Geography
Wels is in the H ...
, which is the second largest city in the
federal state
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-governi ...
of
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
, in the north of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
.
ÖBB travel portal: Stations with Luggage lockers
"Upper Austria: Linz Hauptbahnhof, Wels Hauptbahnhof, .. Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, ..Graz Hauptbahnhof, Leoben Hauptbahnhof, ...Carinthia / East Tyrol: Klagenfurt Hauptbahnhof, Villach Hauptbahnhof, Tyrol: Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, .. "
Opened in 1851, the station is owned and operated by the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). It forms part of the Western Railway, and is also a junction of the Wels–Passau railway, the Alm Valley railway, and the Aschach railway.
Location
Wels Hauptbahnhof is situated in the Bahnhofstraße, at the northwestern edge of the city centre.
History
On 1 April 1835, the Budweis–Linz–Gmunden horse-drawn railway
The Budweis-Linz-Gmunden Horse-Drawn Railway (German: ''Pferdeeisenbahn Budweis–Linz–Gmunden''; Czech: ''Koněspřežná dráha České Budějovice–Linec–Gmunden'') was the second public railway line to be opened in mainland Europe (after ...
was opened. Its route included Wels. In addition to people, it transported salt from the Salzkammergut
The Salzkammergut (; ; bar, Soizkaumaguad, label=Central Austro-Bavarian) is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mounta ...
to Linz, or further to Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
. The horse-drawn railway passed directly through the Wels city centre. However, as early as 1855 the horses were replaced by steam locomotives. From that time, the line contracted to the section between Linz and Gmunden, because the horse-drawn railway's northern section was not suited to the locomotives.
In 1851, the Western Railway was opened from Vienna to Salzburg and Passau, and the Wels station building was moved. The new station building was constructed in the Romantic style. It consisted of an elongated central section with corner pavilions at both ends. At that time, the station had only four tracks.
When the Passau railway was planned, it was decided that its terminus would be Wels instead of Linz. This decision made the Wels station a major railway hub. In 1860, the Passau line went into operation.
In 1886, the line to Aschach was opened; this line branched off the Passau line only in Haiding, but the trains continued to Wels. In 1893, the Alm Valley railway opened, and this line similarly terminated in Wels, before continuing via Sattledt
Sattledt is a municipality in the district of Wels-Land in the Austrian state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders ...
to Rohr im Kremstal
Rohr im Kremstal is a municipality in the district of Steyr-Land in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Geography
Rohr lies in the Traunviertel
The Traunviertel (literally German for the ''Traun'' quarter or district) is an Austrian region belo ...
, where the Alm Valley railway and the Pyhrn railway met each other. In 1901, the Alm Valley railway was extended to Grünau im Almtal
Grünau im Almtal is a village in the Austrian state of Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Rep ...
. Due to the increase in traffic associated with the opening of these lines, Wels Hauptbahnhof had to be enlarged.
After World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, there were already plans for improvement. The Deutsche Reichsbahn
The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'', also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the German national railway system created after the end of World War I from the regiona ...
took over the expansion of Passau line, which was completed in the autumn of 1938. Not far from the station, a marshalling yard
A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...
was opened. In 1937, the station was rebuilt.
During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the station suffered heavy air attacks. In its reconstruction in 1945, the station missed out on the chance to take on a new look. The island platforms with pedestrian underpass
A subway, also known as an underpass, is a grade-separated pedestrian crossing which crosses underneath a road or railway in order to entirely separate pedestrians and cyclists from motor traffic or trains respectively.
Terminology
In the Un ...
were constructed only in 1959. Above the station, there had been a bridge linking Wels with the Neustadt district; in the same year it was replaced by an underpass.
In 1992 the Wels signal box was built. East of the station, a "Rolling highway
In rail transportation, a rolling highway or rolling road is a form of combined transport involving the conveying of road trucks by rail, referred to as Ro-La trains. The concept is a form of piggyback transportation.
The technical challeng ...
" was opened, to transport trucks by train between Wels and Mainz
Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...
. Now such trains run from Wels to many European cities. In 2003, the station was completely rebuilt within the framework of the ÖBB's ''Bahnhofsoffensive''. In 2005 this work was completed.
Station building
The station building
A station building, also known as a head house, is the main building of a passenger railway station. It is typically used principally to provide services to passengers. A station building is a component of a station, which can include tracks, p ...
is divided into three levels:
* In the first (ground) level are a post office, a flower shop and a café, a tobacconist, newspaper and book shop and two ticket machines.
* The second level (1st floor) houses a mobile phone shop, internet shop, a hairdresser, a bakery, a restaurant, a ticketing system and the ÖBB travel centre.
* In the third level (2nd floor), there are public toilets and access to the pedestrian bridge over the platforms.
Train services
The station is served by the following services:
*Intercity Express services (ICE 91) Hamburg - Hanover - Kassel - Nürnberg - Passau - Linz - St Pölten - Vienna - Vienna Airport
*Intercity Express services (ICE 91) Dortmund - Essen - Düsseldorf - Cologne - Koblenz - Frankfurt - Nürnberg - Passau - Linz - St Pölten - Vienna - Vienna Airport
*RailJet services Zürich - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Linz - St Pölten - Vienna - Győr - Budapest
*RailJet services Munich - Salzburg - Linz - St Pölten - Vienna - Győr - Budapest
Platforms
Wels Hauptbahnhof has seven through tracks (track 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8) and four bay platform
In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms.
Overview
Bay and islan ...
s (tracks 7a, 7b, 11 and 12).
The bridge from the station building over the platforms also links the station with the Neustadt district on the other side of the tracks. It has three entrances to each platform (elevator and two flights of stairs or escalators) except for platforms 1 and 11, 12.
Interchange
The station has a bus terminal served by Wels local buses and Postbuses.
See also
*History of rail transport in Austria
Rail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is and 3,523 km are electrified.
Austria is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The ...
*Rail transport in Austria
Rail transport in Austria is mainly owned by the national rail company ÖBB. The railway network consists of 6,123 km, its gauge is and 3,523 km are electrified.
Austria is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The ...
References
External links
''This article is based upon a translation of the German language version as at July 2011.''
{{authority control
Railway stations in Upper Austria
Railway stations opened in 1851
Wels
1851 establishments in the Austrian Empire
Railway stations in Austria opened in the 19th century