Rajoice and Sing at Semmering (3)

It might be easier to think of European “E” roads as “E” routes because they often use or even absorb existing trunk roads in various nations. Much of the E59 in Austria, and thus passing close by Semmering, is new build. We have met the E59 already on these blogs running sort-of parallel to the route of bus 343. But on these Michelin maps for Austria, it is shown as S6. 

What characterises the S6/E59 on its Semmering trajectory is the preponderance of tunnels. Here is the section in question.

The S6/E59 is to motorway standards through Austria, So we approach from the east on the L1468 …

… we curve round to enter a tunnel.

Now, oddly, the Streetview noddy car cannot really cope with tunnels – its camera just comes up with distorted orange fuzz; but we soon escape …

… and it is only a short distance before we are warned of the turn-off to the west of Semmering.

We plunge into our next tunnel. Another exit into a bright sunny day …

… and off we hop to turn back to Semmering. Only we appear to be going in the wrong direction.

We perform a sharp U turn over the top of the S6/E59 and then peel off right …

… to hang a left for Semmering itself.

Note that several places are tagged “am” (= “on”) Semmering just to confuse us.

Clearly this motorway access to the town will have brought more motorists and may well have reduced the rail traffic, which ironically gave the place its focus all those years ago.

But things are happening underground for the rail network.

In the last twenty or so years there has been a real craze for “base” tunnels on the railways of the Alps/  Instead of climbing, wiggling, tunneling, wiggling and descending (all rather slowly but spectacularly) the aim now to blast a line right through the bottom of the mountain!

Such is (more correctly, will be) the Semmering Base Tunnel.

Here it is (dotted) on a map of the existing line.

For fairly obvious reasons, pictures taken inside the tunnel lack impact, so fbb has used a webcam shot of the entrance to the twin bores at Gloggnitz – a place we have met before as a terminus of bus 343.

The second shot is near the western portal, Mürzzuschlag, where the new lines will join the old.

What fbb cannot quite grasp is why the new tunnel goes round two sides of a right angled triangle …

… rather than along the hypotenuse.

Most base tunnels are very “direct” with minor perturbations for airflow reasons. The Semmering tunnel has a huge perturbation. Does the sainted Wikipedia explain?

No!

fbb did wonder, however, whether there were any fast bus or coach services using the S6/E59 between Wien and Semmering. It seemed a possibility.

A search for “Travel Vienna to Semmering” threw up two possibilities. 

One was rail and bus. But it did not involve a change at Gloggnitz on to the 343.

The journey planner in question took you by fast train to Mürzzuschlag where the railway base tunnel will emerge; followed by a local bus back to Semmering.

Here is an appropriate map extract.

Between Wien and Mürzzuschlag you would travel by the fast “intercity” trains.

What is not explained anywhere is why you would travel by fast train though Semmering to  Mürzzuschlag then back to Semmering by bus. But there is one such …

… waiting for its connecting passengers at  Mürzzuschlag station.

Ah, such are the mysteries of Journey Planners!

Then there is BlaBlaCar!

Or is it BlablaBus?

Yet another non official web site gave three journeys by BlaBlaCar …

… with cheap fares and super fast running times.

Sounds great – but fbb doublechecked  on the BlaBlaCar web site and this popped up!