The ÖBB Tauern line will be extensively modernised in the coming years. The focus will be on the work in the approximately 8.3 kilometre long Tauern railway tunnel. This will be completely closed from November to July. A replacement bus service will be set up for passenger transport.
The closure of the Tauern Tunnel will begin on November 18, 2024 and will end on July 13, 2025. Despite the construction work, the Gastein Valley will remain easily and quickly accessible by train from the north for winter tourism until March 2025. From the south, a rail replacement service with buses will be set up from the closure of the Tauern Tunnel in mid-November. There will be hourly bus connections between Bischofshofen and Spittal an der Drau.
Special buses for Tauernschleusen commuters
From 18 November 2024, an additional bus service for commuters between Bad Gastein and Mallnitz will start with suitable intermediate stops. The bus service is especially intended for commuters from the Tauernschleuse and can be used free of charge with a valid annual ticket for the Tauernschleuse.
“The ÖBB is in contact with the municipalities and regions and regularly provides information on the concrete modernization plans. In order to complete the modernization work in the Tauern Tunnel, a second phase of measures is necessary. These are already being planned and mainly affect the area of the south portal,” the ÖBB reported in a press release. The second construction phase is expected to take place in a further total closure of around five months from 2027. ÖBB will continuously provide information on the progress and details.
Benefits of modernization
The Tauern route Salzburg – Villach is, together with the Brenner axis, one of the most important Austrian connections through the Alps and therefore a main axis of Alpine traffic. The core of the route is the approximately 81-kilometre-long Tauern railway line from Schwarzach im Pongau to Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia. “With the commissioning of the Koralmbahn, the implementation of an integrated regular timetable and the associated expansion of services, the north-south connection is becoming significantly more important in long-distance transport. In the coming years, the Tauern line will be prepared step by step for future high-level long-distance traffic,” says ÖBB.
Source: Krone
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