It was a historic Thursday morning at the Weststeiermark train station in Groß St. Florian: the Koralmbahn is finally ready after 26 years of construction. Regular activities will start in exactly one year and tests and training will continue until then. The “Krone” was there for a test drive.
It is not an ordinary working day for driver Florian Rettensteiner from Gnas. Today he sits at the wheel of a special train at the almost completed Western Styrian railway station. On the train are Andreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB, Minister of Infrastructure Leonore Gewessler (Greens), state governors of Carinthia and Styria and a lot of journalists. “It’s something special and feels a bit strange,” says the young man, who is driving into the Koralm Tunnel for the first time. “Now you can still enjoy it. At 250 km/h it is different.”
This trip is a goosebump moment, says project manager Klaus Schneider. “Tens of thousands of people worked on this project. Every screw here was planned and installed by a person. This technical achievement is fantastic.”
Last meters for the project of the century
33 kilometers long, two tubes, 70 cross-passages incorporating the most technology: in less than ten minutes travel time, approximately 180 trains per day transport thousands of passengers and many important goods on the route between the Lavanttal and Deutschlandsberg. “I have been involved in rail for almost thirty years,” says Schneider. The project of the century will be completed in a year. Then you get on in Graz and get off again 45 minutes later in Klagenfurt.
What happens until then? “First we will connect this infrastructure to the rest of the ÖBB world. Test runs will follow in the second quarter, after which we have to train the employees, fire brigade and maintenance staff. Freight traffic will start in the fourth quarter,” summarizes the project manager. The costs for the entire project amount to 6.1 billion euros.
A new economic space is being created
December 2025 will change the lives of around two million inhabitants, create a new economic space and more closely connect Carinthia and Styria. “The train will have no competition, the car will be left behind,” says Minister Leonore Gewessler.
“This railway line changes the reality of people’s lives, it changes mobility, work and leisure options,” says ÖBB boss Matthä, but also connects the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic Sea. “The connection between Gdansk and Bologna then runs through Austria. This is an important factor for the economy.”
Gaby Schaunig, deputy governor (SPÖ) in Carinthia, even compares the effects of the Koralmbahn with those of joining the EU: “You move to the center of Europe, and that changes a lot. A new central space is created. Economic growth radiates from Graz to Villach and beyond.”
In Styria it is now a matter of a good public connection to the Western Styria train station, say the two regional councilors Werner Amon (ÖVP) and Ursula Lackner (SPÖ). “This ash is a small sensation,” says Amon. “We cannot yet imagine the dynamics that will develop.” Lackner sums it up: “We have a good future.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
