Montafonerbahn – train ride Bludenz–Schruns

The Montafonerbahn is a piece of transport history in everyday use: when it opened on 18 December 1905 it was the first electrically operated standard-gauge railway in Austria-Hungary. The 12.9 km single-track line follows the river Ill from Bludenz via Lorüns, St. Anton, Vandans, Kaltenbrunnen and Tschagguns to Schruns; the flood of 1910 destroyed more than half of it, and in 1972 it was converted from direct to alternating current. Today it runs as line S4 of the Vorarlberg S-Bahn every half hour, the journey takes 19 minutes, and every second train continues without a change to Bregenz and Lindau. Since 2020 only modern, step-free ÖBB railcars have been in service – pushchairs and bikes roll straight in. There is still nostalgia, though: the Pro Bahn Vorarlberg association keeps the historic railcar ET 10.104 of 1935 in working order and uses it for charter and special trips; public heritage runs on the Bludenz–Schruns line, however, are not scheduled for 2026.

For us the train is the most comfortable way to Bludenz: bus 650 from the stop near the house to Schruns station (13 minutes by car), then change. In Bludenz the old town, the Val Blu leisure pool and the Muttersberg cable car await; railway fans get off at Tschagguns or Vandans and walk back along the Ill cycle path. With the Montafon Premium guest card and the Freizeit-WildPass, bus and train are included; otherwise the Vorarlberg network fare applies.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026