Vienna

Austria (Europe)

Date of opening [d.m.y]	25.02.1978
Network length	65.1 km (40.46 mi)
Number of stations	91 (80*)
Number of lines	5
Stations per line	18.20
Avg. station distance*	0.81 km (0.51 mi)
Avg. line length	13.02 km (8.09 mi)
*with transfer stations counted once
World Metro List by J. Serradell, 1/2008.

System known as	U-Bahn
Annual ridership	Unknown
Track orientation	Right
Air-conditioned trains	Yes
Walk-through trains	Yes
Rubber-tyred trains	No
Driverless lines	No
Platform screen doors	No
Metro Features List

Metro Arts and Architecture

Examples of good station design:

	Vienna The Art Nouveau Stadtbahn stations have been consistently planned by the renowned architect Otto Wagner and date back as far as 1898 when the city rail system was inaugurated [wiennet.at]. Most stations have been beautifully renovated and integrated into the metro system. Photo [bigfoto.com]: Karlsplatz station pavilion built in 1898.
	Some of Vienna's elegant modern metro stations are decorated with works of art. Photo [hs-st-paul.ksn.at]: Volkstheater station with mosaic friezes by Anton Lehmden.

Departure Procedure and Sounds

The train operator says "Zug fährt ab" ("Train departing") before the doors close. A few seconds after the U-bahn train departs the station, there is a high and low pitch bell, and then the name of the next station announced in a "robotic" sounding male voice with a bit of a Viennese accent. Any connections to busses, trams or other trains are announced. For example: "[ding dong] [station name]. Umsteigen zu den Linien [lines]".

Vienna

Line U1 train entering and leaving Aderklaaer Straße station. Video by speedtram.

Length: 56 sec.

Metro Museums

Wiener Straßenbahnmuseum. Tram museum with little reference to the subway. Since 1972. Location: Historic maintainance station.
Address: Straßenbahnremise Erdberg, Wien 3, entrance at Ludwig-Koeßler-Platz (near Stadionbrücke). At Schlachthausgasse metro station.
Hours: May through September, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays 9:00 - 16:00.
Reference: wiener-tramwaymuseum.org (official website).

Archaeology

The capital of Austria began metro construction in 1969, an opportunity already being eagerly awaited by historians. Archaeologists have been involved from the very beginning of the construction work and could sometimes even helpfully warn the engineers about obstacles in the soil. The efficient cooperation resulted in lots of important archaeological findings while unexpected delays could be minimized. A subset of the artifacts is now displayed in a few stations [13].
Exhibits in stations:

Rochusgasse: Exhibits showing finds from the Roman age.
Schwedenplatz: Coats of arms that decorated the city wall in the Renaissance era.
Stephansplatz: The Virgil chapel, dating back to 1250, was excavated under the Stephansdom cathedral during metro construction. It can be seen through windows from the station's concourse level.
Stubentor: Remnants of the old city wall.

Other Rail Transport in Vienna

S-Bahn (suburban metro)

Metros to Beaches

Danube river: Donauinsel station is near a beach. There's an artificial beach near Schwedenplatz and Schottenring stations. The same beach can be seen through windows in the tunnel from line U4, which runs parallel to it.

Handpicked Resources

homepage.univie.ac.at	About the U-Bahn (In German)
Hewson, Elisabeth	Zeitmaschine U-Bahn: Eine Reise durch Jahrtausende. Wiener Stadtwerke 1994. (In German)
Hewson, Elisabeth	Zeitmaschine U-Bahn: Eine Reise durch Jahrtausende. Wiener Stadtwerke 1994. (In German)

Useful Links for Vienna U-Bahn

Search (Google) (will most likely bring up Vienna U-Bahn's official website)
System maps (Google Images)
City map (Google Maps) (might show metro stations when zoomed in)
Images (Google Images)
Search urbanrail.net
Wikipedia page
Vienna city information (Wikipedia)

Other City Pages at Metro Bits

This page: http://mic-ro.com/metro/metrocity.html?city=279

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