ÖBB Infrastruktur will invest EUR 1.12 billion in railway projects across Styria, Tirol and Vorarlberg states.
EUR 460 million will be invested in Styrian railway infrastructure, focusing on the maintenance of the network and major construction projects along the new southern route. The highlight will be the breakthrough of the second tunnel of the Koralm tunnel in the first half of 2020. In addition, the stations will be modernised and Park & Ride facilities will be constructed, while the Knittelfeld training workshop will be completed this year.
“The southern route is one of the largest and most spectacular infrastructure projects in Austria, from which Styria will benefit greatly. 200 km of railway lines will be modernised with 170 km of new lines. For passengers, the completion of the Koralm line will end in 2025, making possible to travel from Graz to Klagenfurt within 45 minutes, while millions of goods will arrive faster to their destination,” Klaus Schneider, Koralm project manager, said.
This year, construction work will continue at full speed on all sections of the Semmering Base Tunnel, and a total of 14 tunneling works are currently underway. When completed, in 2027, the Semmering tunnel will cut the travel times by 30 minutes between Vienna and Graz.
According to the plans, EUR 370 million will be invested for new and expansion projects, EUR 90 million will be directed to park and ride facilities, noise protection and maintenance measures. Under the 2018-2023 financing period, EUR 2.75 billion will be invested in Styria.
Styria has a railway network of 750 km, served by 123 train stations and stops, and around 8,481 car parking spaces and 7,825 two-wheeler parking spaces.
In Tirol, EUR 592 million will be invested in a comprehensive construction programme which will see modernised lines, new stops, additional parking spaces and park & ride facilities at the train stations, and the construction of new Innsbruck training workshop. According to the federal government’s framework plan, a total of around EUR 3.15 billion will be available in the funding period from 2018 to 2023 in Tirol railway network.
In addition to the Brenner Base Tunnel project, ÖBB is heavily investing in regional projects that further increase customer benefits across the western Austrian state.
“Modern, safe and customer-friendly facilities are the basis for a successful rail travel in Tirol. Investments in train stations, park & ride facilities and route expansion are important factors for rail attractiveness,” said Christian Wieser, Regional manager at ÖBB-Infrastruktur.
The plans include the renovation of Schwaz station, the construction of a new stop at Messe-Saggen in Innsbruck area, and the of Kirchberg station, as well as the conversion of Rum station. 450 car parking spaces and 183 bicycle parking spaces will be constructed this year and completed by the end of 2021. In total, 5,500 park and ride spaces, while 4,000 bike spaces are available in Tirol.
For Vorarlberg, EUR 67 million is available for local traffic-oriented design which includes the railway connection between Lustenau and Lauterach (to the Swiss border) as well as double-track route expansion between Hard and Lauterach.
During 2020, ÖBB will be focused on the increase of infrastructure performance by maintenance works and network expansion. By 2023, a total of EUR 307 million will be invested in the federal state of Vorarlberg.
“Punctuality and safety are most important issue for passengers and for us too. The prerequisite for this is the constant investment in the rail infrastructure in Vorarlberg. With a multitude of individual projects and an investment of EUR 67 million in 2020, passengers and the local economy will benefit equally,” said Harald Schreyer, Project team leader at ÖBB-Infrastruktur.
To increase the accessibility, ten additional train stations will be barrier-free by 2025. Hard-Fußach, Lauterach West on the Lustenau – Lauterach line and Altach are the next stations in Vorarlberg which will be fully accessible. This summer, ÖBB will launch main construction works for the renewal of Spullersee power plant. Preparatory works started in 2019 and it is expected that the project will be completed within two years. ÖBB will also continue the construction of the training workshop in Bludenz.
The ÖBB manages a 111 km railway network and 34 stations in the Vorarlberg state which also will benefit 1,200 park and ride spaces and 4,000 bike & ride spaces.
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