In the present thesis, the critical examination of primary sources from the Public record office of Austria and the clear presentation of the history of drainage systems in various railway tunnels in Austria are emphasized. The research into the investigation material from the Public record office of Austria and the Chair of Subsurface Engineering begins with an analysis of data of different railway tunnels on the railway lines “Semmering railway”, “Brenner railway”, “Arlberg railway” and “Tauern railway”. The history of drainage systems in railway tunnels in Austria is shown in a chronological comparison of eight selected tunnels starting from 1853. For selected tunnels, there were drawn longitudinal sections considering precipitation-relevant parameters outlined by the Task Force Drainage (TFD) and these can be viewed in the appendix. The former “Austrian tunnelling method” reduced the contact with calcareous building materials and enabled a targeted precipitation through the following drainage system elements concerning various railway tunnels: •drainage tunnels •stone filling behind the vault wall •drainage slits •sole drainage channel In this context, increasing attention is paid to the natural carbonic acid, which has already been the subject of the research into the smoking conditions of the Arlberg tunnel in 1896. In the end, there is the statement that, in the current situation, it is better, depending on the hydrogeological conditions, to build a tunnel which is holding back the water pressure. On the other side, there is the opportunity to use the tunnel water utilizing individual, reliable construction measures of the former “Austrian tunnelling method”.