The central inner-Austrian rail connection across the Alps will initially be closed for eight months between November 18, 2024 and July 13, 2025 and then probably for a further five months from 2027. The second construction phase is necessary to complete the work in the 8,371-meter-long rail tunnel, the Federal Railways announced.
Large-scale diversions
Freight traffic and night trains will be diverted over a large area, and a replacement bus service will be set up for passenger traffic. As the ÖBB announced, a rail replacement service with hourly buses between Bischofshofen and Spittal an der Drau will start in mid-November. There will be no intermediate stops. Despite the construction work for winter tourism, the Gastein Valley will remain accessible by train from the north until March 2025. From March 3, 2025, there will be a rail replacement service between Schwarzach im Pongau and Bad Gastein. There will be timetable changes for long-distance and local traffic between Klagenfurt, Villach, Lienz and Mallnitz.
The closure means extensive and time-consuming detours, especially for commuters and schoolchildren who would otherwise travel through the Tauernschleuse with the car transporter between Mallnitz and Böckstein. Instead of an eleven-minute train ride, they then have to travel a good two hours by car. The only other routes from Carinthia to Salzburg are via the Tauern Tunnel on the A10 or via East Tyrol over the Felbertauern. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road is closed from autumn to early May.
Additional service with buses
An additional bus service is therefore being introduced for commuters. This is specifically intended for users of the Tauernschleuse and can be used free of charge with a valid annual pass for the Tauernschleuse. Because the Tauern Tunnel is also part of the popular Alpe-Adria cycle path from Salzburg to Grado, there will also be a bike shuttle between Mallnitz and Bad Gastein from April 11, 2025 (10 euros per route, max. 35 bikes).
According to ÖBB, the reason for the tunnel renovation is regular water ingress. The tunnel’s inner shell therefore needs to be renovated. Construction work is also necessary at the portals, and the safety technology is being renewed. Single-track operation is not possible during the modernization due to the structural conditions and also for employee protection reasons.
Initial work has begun
The first work has already begun with the renovation of two viaducts on the approach route in Salzburg. The construction site for the tunnel renovation will then start at the beginning of August. The exact date for the second stage from 2027 has not yet been set, the ÖBB announced. However, in coordination with neighboring railways, railway companies and the motorway operator Asfinag, it will be brought forward from 2029.
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Source: Nachrichten
