As far back as the time of the "Gloggnitzer Bahn", the railway southwards from Vienna was the busiest in the area. It was nationalised in 1924, although the properties remained in the hands of the "Donau-Save-Adria-Eisenbahn AG" until Anschluß in 1938. In contrast to other Viennese stations, the Südbahnhof was relatively undamaged by the Second World War; a small number of bombs fell on it, and a great deal of glass was broken in the fighting in April 1945. The steel framework was largely undamaged and services were soon restarted, although it became clear that renovation works would be necessary.