Which railway, opened in 1854, is widely regarded as the world’s first mountain railway?

The Semmering Railway, opened in 1854, is widely regarded as the world’s first true mountain railway.

It crosses the Semmering Pass in Austria between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag. Designed by Carl von Ghega, the line was built through difficult alpine terrain and included numerous viaducts, tunnels and steep gradients. Steam locomotives were used despite the challenging route.

The railway made year-round travel across the pass practical and helped connect Vienna with the Austrian port of Trieste. Its engineering was considered a major achievement because it demonstrated that a railway could cross mountainous country without relying on cable haulage.

The Semmering Railway became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. It is sometimes confused with the nearby Gotthard and Rhaetian railways, which are also celebrated for alpine engineering but opened later or have different heritage designations.