Austria's national rail operator ÖBB has outlined plans to expand and update the country’s rail network, including improved cross-border connections with Germany, Switzerland and France.
ÖBB presented a ‘technical draft’ for its Target Network 2040 plan, which outlines 67 projects that will further develop the country’s railway infrastructure, taking into account future capacity requirements, international connections, regional transport and freight, environmental impact and long-term economic effects.
“The 2040 target network is a look into the future of what a modern rail system in our country can look like. It is a rail network for a climate-neutral Austria, in which climate protection and good mobility go hand in hand,” said Austria’s minister for climate action, environment, energy, mobility, innovation and technology, Leonore Gewessler, who presented the plan alongside ÖBB Board chairman Andreas Matthä in Vienna last month.
“The design is full of bold ideas, new connections and even better rail routes. The 2040 target network sets the direction – and is the right compass for a sustainable railway infrastructure for the next 15 or 20 years,” Gewessler added.
With the 2040 plan, which represents a total investment of €26 billion, the rail operator hopes to reach 255 million train kilometres per year within the next 20 years – 1.5 times the level of today's rail traffic performance, according to ÖBB.
Projects outlined in the plan include:
- A new double-track line connecting Vienna and Munich that is expected to shorten travel time from the current four hours to 2.5 hours;
- Improved regional connections to the central Linz area that will positively impact cross-border travel and shorten travel times to destinations such as Paris;
- Expansion of railway lines in the Bregenz area to improve local transport throughout the Rhine Valley and ‘optimise’ long-distance traffic to Innsbruck and from Munich via Bregenz to Zurich.
The technical draft, which will now undergo a state-level review, followed by a public consultation, is excepted to be finalised “this year”.
ÖBB’s Matthä added: “Rail expansion must be planned long-term and strategically... That’s why we’re already determining today which expansion projects will be tackled in the 2030s.”