A new chapter in rail transport opened in Austria on 14 December. This date marked the inauguration by the Austrian Federal Railways of the ÖBB of the "Koralmbahn" line. This is the most important rail development in Austria for a century. This development will further open up southern Austria.
The 130-kilometre line was built around the Koralm tunnel. At 33 kilometres long, it is the sixth longest tunnel built in Europe. In fact, it is the most spectacular feature of a line that includes 12 tunnels totalling 50 kilometres, more than 100 bridges and 23 new or modernised stations.
The Koralmbahn allows trains to travel at speeds of up to 250 km/h. Equipped with the state-of-the-art European Train Control System (ETCS), the line sets new standards for safety and efficiency.
What are the benefits for passengers? First of all, a huge improvement in rail connectivity in southern Austria. In particular between Graz, Austria's second largest city - and capital of Styria - with over 300,000 inhabitants, and Klagenfurt, the capital of Carinthia, with over 100,000 inhabitants.
Focus on southern Austria
With the inauguration of the Koralmbahn, the ÖBB will operate 29 daily services between the two provincial capitals, reducing journey times to just 41 minutes on the fastest Railjet Xpress services. Until now, this has taken more than two hours!
Between Klagenfurt and Vienna, 26 daily trains will also be offered, reducing journey times to just 3 hours and 10 minutes. Until 14 December, the fastest trains connected the two cities in 3 hours and 55 minutes.
New Interregio lines are also being introduced, including faster train journeys to Italy - Trieste and Venice. Journey times on the Vienna-Trieste line via Graz and Klagenfurt have been cut to 6 hours 38 minutes from the previous 9 hours 17 minutes.
The economic impact is just as significant. Around €5.9 billion has been invested in the project, creating thousands of jobs and considerable regional added value. The line will merge the conurbations of Graz and Klagenfurt to form Austria's second largest urban region, home to around 1.1 million people.
It was a huge success, with over 10,000 tickets sold in just one day. The ÖBB therefore recommends reserving your seats for the coming weeks...
