2025150 Year Anniversary of the Pneumatic Tube Network - Miniature Sheet

When the pneumatic tube systems used in some European cities for particularly fast mail delivery proved effective, a city pneumatic post system was established in Vienna in 1875.

The "pneumatic tube network" connected ten stations, all located within what is now the Gürtel. Pipes with an internal diameter of 65 millimetres were laid about one metre underground, through which letters, postcards, and telegrams were transported in metal capsules using air pressure for a fee of 20 Kreuzer. From 1880 onwards, dedicated red-painted post boxes were introduced for the pneumatic post, which were emptied every 20 minutes, with the collected mail then forwarded via the pneumatic system. At its peak in 1913, the network comprised 53 pneumatic post stations over more than 80 kilometres. Severe damage during the Second World War and the rise of telephony and teleprinters led to the system being discontinued in 1956 due to unprofitability.