Risky shortcut

Detour too long: pupils prefer to cross tracks

The fence also ends right next to the maintenance shed. The pupils take advantage of this and cross the tracks right there.(Bild: Thomas Werth)

Although an underpass in St. Pölten has minimized the risk of fatal traffic accidents, it has created a completely different danger: young people in particular now cross the tracks on foot because it saves them around 300 metres of walking.

Great expectations were placed on the underpass under the railroad line parallel to Mariazeller Straße in the south of St. Pölten. Thanks to the multi-million euro removal of the railroad crossing with Ochsenburger Straße, the numerous, sometimes fatal collisions have been a thing of the past since 2021. However, the risk of dangerous incidents has not been completely eliminated, as residents of the adjacent housing estate have recently observed with increasing frequency.

Many pedestrians avoid the detour through the underpass, which is not barrier-free.(Bild: Thomas Werth)

"We are very worried"
This is because schoolchildren in particular now cross the tracks on foot where cars used to drive. The direct route to the bus stop saves them a detour of around 300 meters through the new underpass, which is some distance away and is also not barrier-free. "We are very worried that something will happen. It's a straight railroad line, but if you're distracted, you can miss trains there too," they are concerned. Although a fence has been installed, it ends at the maintenance shed right next to the former railroad crossing.

ÖBB emphasizes that in addition to the barriers and warning signs, they can only appeal to people to take personal responsibility. "Taking shortcuts across the tracks is life-threatening," says spokesman Christopher Seif.