ÖBB EC Cabride + The Arlberg  - Innsbruck to St Anton.    Welcome back to Austria. We are in the mountains now,  first along the Inn valley and then the Sanna. This is the Arlbergbahn (Westbahn) - one of the great scenic railways of Europe.  Once again it’s a line being modernised,  sections that have not changed for decades are juxtaposed with a 21st century railway.  Not the busiest section of our run but  scenically most dramatic on the sunny day of our visit.
Along the way we are passed by wagonload trains that epitomise the local ecomomy - lumber! -  then import traffic from Switzerland and then oil.  But more interesting is the number of lineside facilities full of railwagons! This is not after all the Ruhr!  As far as Ötztal, 45km from Innsbruck, the Arlbergbahn is a modern  double track 140 -160 kph railway. Beyond  there is still much work to be done to bring the railway to modern standards, although some projects such as the Landeck NBS with its 2.3km tunnel have been completed.  A  run through some serious country for all to enjoy.