Kaprun Disaster - The Train

The Train

The train, the Gletscherbahn 2, was a funicular railway running from Kaprun to the Kitzsteinhorn, opened in 1974. This railway had the unusual track gauge of 946 mm (37.2 in), and a length of 3,900 m (12,800 ft), of which 3,300 m (10,800 ft) was through a tunnel. There were two carriages on a single track, with a section allowing the trains to pass each other halfway. One train would carry passengers up the mountain while the other train simultaneously descended the mountain. The carriages each had a maximum capacity of 180 passengers. The tunnel terminated at the main reception centre, called the Alpine Centre.

The unit had its fire extinguishers out of the passengers' reach in the sealed attendant compartments. No smoke detectors existed on board. The passengers had no method of contacting the attendant. Professor Joseph Nejez, a funicular train expert, said that the designers throughout the years had a perception that a fire could not occur since no fire occurred in a funicular cabin prior to the Kaprun disaster. The train complied with area safety codes, which did not address the systems installed on the train during its 1993 upgrade. The onboard electric power, hydraulic systems, and fan heaters intended for use in homes instead of trains increased the likelihood of fire.

It was recently reported that a new funicular carriage would be constructed to run on the same track formerly used by the Gletscherbahn Kaprun 2, but will only carry freight from the village of Kaprun to the Alpine Centre, and not for passenger use.