Owner of the abandoned railway:
The Lower Austrian State Railways / Niederösterreichische Landesbahnen
The Local train Siebenbrunn-Engelhartstetten was a narrow-gauge railway line operated in Austria; it was built in 1894 and closed in 1955. According to its Wikipedia page, the railway had several notable heritage features, such as tunnels, bridges, and stations. The Engelhartstetten Tunnel, which is almost 600 meters long, is one of Austria’s longest narrow-gauge railway tunnels. The Siebenbrunner Viaduct, which spans the Wien River, is regarded as a technological marvel of its era. The railway’s main station, Siebenbrunn, was equipped with a turntable, workshops, and a water tower. (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokalbahn_Siebenbrunn%E2%80%93Engelhartstetten#Weblinks)
According to a tourism website, the route of this railway has several worth-seeing features, including the Siebenbrunn station, which is preserved as a museum, the Siebenbrunner Viaduct, a technical masterpiece that spans the Wien River, and the scenic countryside of Lower Austria offering picturesque views. (https://www.lower-austria.info/infrastructure/a-train-station-siebenbrunn-leopoldsdorf)
Railway line: 188 / Siebenbrunn-Leopoldsdorf – Breitenstetten – Engelhardtstetten; 22 km (1435 mm) and 189 / Breitenstetten – Orth ad Donau 6 km (1435 mm)
Route: Leopoldsdorf – Breitstetten – Orth and Engelhartstetten – Loimersdorf – Kopfstetten
Route length (single): About 13.4 km
Surface: asph. (Width: 3m)
Total climbing: 44 m
Total descent: -53 m
In Orth an der Donau, there are the famous schlossORTH and museumORTH. In addition, the market town of Engelhartstetten is home to the two most prominent Baroque palaces: Schloss Hof and Niederweiden Palace.
(https://www.noe-landesausstellung.at/en/excursion-tips/spotlight-on-the-marchfeld-region)
The railway route passed through the scenic countryside of Lower Austria, offering picturesque views of the surrounding landscape. Given this information, it’s likely that the former railway route could be used for a variety of sport and leisure activities:
- Hiking: The railway route passes through the countryside of Lower Austria, which is known for its beautiful landscape and countryside, this could make the region an attractive destination for hiking.
- Cycling: Since the railway is closed, the tracks could be converted into a cycling trail, allowing people to bike through the picturesque landscape of Lower Austria.
- Heritage and Cultural Tours: The railway had several notable heritage features, such as tunnels, bridges, and stations, which could be visited as part of a heritage or cultural tour.
- Photography: The railway route passes through the scenic countryside of Lower Austria, offering picturesque views of the surrounding landscape. It could be used for photography enthusiasts.
Potencial activities are hiking, cycling, ecological and educational excursions, walking and trekking, and jogging are just a few of the sports and activities that might be carried out on the former railway.
Parts of the road were reopened as a pedestrian and cycling path in 2019. On May 25, 2019, the Kopfstetten-Loimersdorf-Engelhartstetten segment opens. The Leopoldsdorf-Breitstetten-Orth segment opened a week later, on June 2, 2019.