[2] In 1894 the line opened, using a steam engine to haul the cable and with a Riggenbach rack rail for braking.

The haulage system was unusual in that whilst the 40 horsepower (30 kW) steam engine was at the upper station, the boiler was at the lower station, with the two linked by steam pipes.

[2] The line was converted to electric haulage over the winter of 1899/1900, using current supplied by the Graz tramway system and to a design modeled on the San Salvatore funicular in Lugano, Switzerland.

In 2004, the Schlossbergbahn was again modernised, with both cars being replaced and both stations reconstructed, at a cost of €2.5 million.

[1][3] The line's lower station is served by the Schloßbergbahn stop, on routes 3 and 5 of the city's tram network.