The Institute of Railway Engineering and Transport Economy is part of the faculty of Civil Engineering at Graz University of Technology. In 1847, a “professorship for road-, railway- and water engineering” was implemented in the engineering school which was changed to a “professorship for road- and railway engineering” in 1874. Its head this time, Professor Karl Scheidtenberger, was elected as first rector of the “k.k. Technical College”, as the university was named in those days.
After Professor Alois Pendel had passed away in 1961, the sectors railway engineering and road engineering were separated with the Institute of Railway Engineering only being reappointed in 1968 with Professor Karl Klugar. In the meantime, Dr. Roman Jaworski led the institute simultaneously while doing his highly responsible job at the Austrian Federal Railway. The research of Professor Klugar concerning ballast made the institute internationally well known. Already in the early eighties, Professor Klugar claimed the necessity of the Semmering Base Tunnel. In 1984, Professor Rießberger, former department head of research and development at Plasser & Theurer, became successor of Professor Klugar. During his time as head of the institute, Professor Rießberger acquired projects with Russia, South Africa, Vietnam and the Heavy Haul Association.
In 2010, Professor Peter Veit became head of the institute.
