Railway Project from Verona to Bregenz via Meran

Austrian Monarchy.

Tyrol.

In its supplement, under the heading “Railways”, the Messaggiere tirolese publishes the following article that had just been sent to it from Venice: “Relying upon wealthy English capitalists and merchants, a banking house in Venice has addressed a petition to His Majesty and the high Hofkammer for the granting of a temporary privilege for the construction of a railway from Verona to Bregenz, via Roveredo, Trient, Bozen, Meran, Landeck, and Feldkirch. In the event that His Majesty should deign to grant this concession, the said house will at its own expense and under the direction of an imperial-royal engineer commence the preliminary surveys, in order to ascertain how the crossing of the mountains between Meran and Landeck might be accomplished, and to be able then to submit to the English capitalists a provisional estimate of the funds required for the execution of this magnificent undertaking. The favourable reception which far less advantageous projects encounter in London, and the direct interest England would have in a link by which Venice could be reached from London within 70 hours, give well-founded hopes for the early execution of the aforementioned project. It seems unnecessary to detail at length the immense advantages this railway line would bring to the land of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Large foreign capital deployed and spent within the country; the transit of all travellers proceeding from England to Egypt, India, and China, and of all those travelling to Italy from England, Paris, and the Rhine regions; the speed and ease of communication between Tyrol and the Lombard-Venetian Kingdom are advantages immediately apparent to everyone, which appear ever greater the more they are considered. The high authorities of the capital have received this project with a goodwill that allows a fortunate outcome to be predicted for the application of the aforementioned Venetian house.” To this article the Messaggiere appends the following observation: For our part, we can only applaud the person who devised this discussed grand project, whose implementation can only be exceedingly advantageous. We must not deceive ourselves, however, that obstacles will have to be overcome—notably at the Thöll, Finstermünz, and over the Arlberg—which we might consider almost insurmountable. We earnestly hope, however, that they are not indeed so, and the inhabitants of the entire province will surely share this wish.