The Pustertal railway was part of the 210-kilometre-long Franzensfeste-Lienz-Villach route. Thousands of workers from every part of the monarchy ensured that the plans were quickly executed. The first trains passed through the Pustertal Valley after only two years of construction, ten months earlier than planned. The ceremonial opening of the line took place on 20 November 1871 in Lienz in Eastern Tyrol.

The railway connection brought Bruneck closer to the metropolises of Vienna and Munich. The journey from Bruneck to Innsbruck now only took six hours. This made travelling considerably more attractive. With the arrival of the Pustertal Valley railway, tourism enjoyed a significant upswing. Bruneck became established as a health resort and summer holiday destination.

One year after the Pustertal Valley railway went into operation, the Pusterthaler Bote newspaper observed: “Since the snorting steam horse now also passes through the Pustertal, tourism, as well as the life and goings-on in this valley, have become far more animated and lively. […]”.

Whilst tourism benefited from the railway, it propelled other trades into crisis. For example, until that time, soap and furniture had almost exclusively been manufactured locally. Now, though, it was possible to import these products cheaply. Agriculture, too, came under pressure. Cereal transports from Hungary depressed prices. The new railway connection was therefore not a source of unalloyed delight for everyone.