Alois Rainer, head of the tourism and leisure sector at the Tyrol Chamber of Commerce and district chairman of the Tyrolean Economic Association Schwaz, warns of the serious consequences of the persistent traffic problems in the Zillertal. When it comes to the Zillertal mobility plan, patience in the valley has now run out.
“It has been standing still for years! In the Zillertal, not only does traffic come to a standstill every day, but every project is aimed at improving the situation, which is no longer sustainable. The population’s patience has run out and the economy is confronted with loss of turnover and costs due to traffic jams. Now action must finally be taken,” says Rainer. Even out of season, traffic jams would now be on the agenda without tourist influences. There are already enough projects on the table to improve the situation.
Criticism of Asfinag
“From an improved highway access ramp in Wiesing, including a bridge extension, for which Asfinag is doing nothing, to the Fügen bypass, on which the administrative court ruling is still pending, to the Zillertal mobility plan, which is constantly boycotted by its own national borders. “You start to wonder whether it is the bureaucratic systems or the democratically elected politicians who decide,” says Rainer in surprise.
Claims are “put on the back burner”
The department chairman is particularly annoyed by the situation in Wiesing. “Asfinag receives tens of millions of euros from Tyrolean toll revenues. But the improvement of the Wiesing highway access road, including the bridge expansion, which has been urgently requested for years, is being put on the back burner with hair-raising demands from the state-owned company. The fact that Asfinag is now demanding a second Brettfall tunnel is something you have to swallow with your mouth,” says Rainer angrily, who continues to insist on the implementation of the existing project as quickly as possible.
Patience is broken in the valley
As for the Fügen bypass, the valley is still waiting for the administrative court’s decision. “Two objections from the court block the development of an entire valley. “You must accept this right, but the pending court decision is no longer acceptable,” Rainer said.
When it comes to the Zillertal mobility plan, patience in the valley has now run out. “In recent years, intensive work has been done on the overall concept, including the modernization of the Zillertalbahn. The state government’s fundamental decision was a ray of hope. But instead of finally ordering the trains, the calculations start again. The crucifixes at civil service level do not help. If we continue to muddle through, this lack of decision-making will continue to haunt us and we will be faced with a replacement rail service due to the aging existing trainsets. Since the traffic situation in the Zillertal is already catastrophic, it is important to avoid such a scenario as much as possible,” says Rainer.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
