Skip to main content

History

Know-how for more than 160 years

In 1851, Count Hugo Henckel von Donnersmarck founded the so-called “Hugo-Hütte”, which developed into the most important company in the field of railway systems through consistently innovative research - voestalpine Railway Systems GmbH, former voestalpine VAE GmbH.

All over the world, customers have confidence in this well-founded know-how when they require turnouts systems for highest speeds, highest axle loads or shortest train intervals and complex requirements for individual solutions.

  • 1851: Foundation of the company
  • 1866: Start of industrial turnout production
  • 1953: Start of export activities
  • 1980: Patent on AMS welding
  • 1988: Market introduction of movable crossings (MPF)
  • 1990: Start of internationalization
  • 1992-1992: Privatization of VAE
  • 1998: Successful defense against hostile take-over
  • 2000: Plug and play turnout
  • 2002: Start of industrial HYTRONICS production
  • 2003: New owner; 100% voestalpine
  • 2011: Splitting of the Austrian subsidiary, VAE Eisenbahnsysteme GmbH, in the newly founded voestalpine Weichensysteme GmbH and voestalpine HYTRONICS GmbH
  • 2014: Rebranding/renaming of voestalpine HYTRONICS Group in voestalpine SIGNALING
  • 2018: Bundeling of the railway infrastructure competences (high-tech turnouts, high-quality rails and intelligent, tailor-made signaling solutions) under the joint "Railway Systems" brand
  • 2020: voestalpine Railway Systems GmbH was founded