The Arlberg Railway

The Vinschgau Railway (German: Vinschgaubahn; Italian: Ferrovia della Val Venosta) is a standard gauge, single-track railway in South Tyrol, Italy. The 60-kilometre-long (37 mi) railway runs from Meran (Italian-language placename: Merano) west to Mals (Malles) through the Vinschgau (Val Venosta), the upper valley of the river Etsch (Adige). SAD Nehverkehr conducts rail transport operations on the railway, and Südtiroler Transportstrukturen (STA) is the railway infrastructure manager. The Vinschgau Railway was originally built and operated by the private joint-stock railway company Vinschgaubahn AG. The railway was initially planned as part of a transalpine railway over the Reschen Pass, but the northern sections were never completed. The railway from Meran to Mals opened 1 July 1906. After World War I, the Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, FS) took over the line. The Vinschgau Railway initially closed in 1990, but the railway reopened in 2005. STA began electrifying the line in 2023, and electric service is expected to begin in 2026.