Oltradige railroad

Infobox rail line
name = Oltreadige railroad

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image_width = 270px
caption =
type = passenger/freight
system =
status = abandoned
start = Bolzano
end = Mendola funicular
stations = 6
open = December 16, 1898
close = 1974
owner =
operator =
character =
stock =
linelength = 15,00 km
tracklength =
notrack =
gauge = RailGauge|sg
el = since 1911
speed =
elevation = |

The Oltreadige railroad ( _it. Transatesina) connected Bolzano with the Mendola funicular. This line was part of a rail sightseeing tour round the Mendola pass. The tour was defined by five railway lines and often used by tourists.

Track

Just after the station of Bolzano the track leaved the Brennero railway and run along the Isarco River. A bridge helped to cross the Talvera River and after to small stations (Ponte Roma and Ponte Resia) the line became autonomous. Until here the track was used with the Venosta valley railroad. Now, after a wide bridge to cross the Adige river, the line got slope and after two short tunnels the line reached the Oltreadige plateau. Here its only stations, Eppan, Kaltern and San Antonio, near the Mendola funicular station. The strange thing was, that the track to the San Antonio station left the mainline before it arrived to the Caldaro station, so the trains had to run to Caldaro station, drive back to the switch, change driving direction again and then go further to the San Antonio station.

History

The railroad had been build to reach the Oltreadige plateau more easily. In the two big villages Caldaro and Appiano until today tourist came to visit the beautiful landscape and to taste a little bit of the marvellous wine. So the railroad made it easy to get tourist to the villages and the wine to the big station to Bolzano, where international freight trains got to everywhere in Europe.

Today

After the passenger service was deactivated, also the freight service was suspended. The line was abandoned for many years but nearly complete. Only at the Appiano station the tracks where replaced by a street, to avoid the cars to enter the village. Today the line is part of a bike trail and very crowded at the weekends. Because of the dangerous and crowded traffic on the street some local people have proposed to reactivate the line for the people that work in Bolzano.

Gallery

Literature

*Josef Dultinger: "Vergessene Vergangenheit". Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982
*Josef Dultinger: "Auf schmaler Spur durch Südtirol". Verlag Dr. Rudolf Erhard, Rum 1982