After negotiations

The city government’s timetable for the mini-subway has been finalized

The city council agreed on how to proceed with the S-Link.

(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

The new Salzburg city government agreed on a joint approach to the planned S-Link regional light rail system during party negotiations on Friday. The designated SPÖ mayor Bernhard Auinger will conduct negotiations with the state regarding the financing of the project in the event of realization - i.e. before the public consultation announced for the autumn. The city is aiming to cap the costs.

The S-Link is politically controversial: The SPÖ mayoral party is clearly against the billion-euro construction project, while the KPÖ Plus, ÖVP and Greens see the project as the backbone for a solution to the traffic problems in the congestion-plagued provincial capital. Prior to the municipal elections on March 10, 2024, all parliamentary groups emphasized that they would make their approval dependent on the outcome of any public consultation in the city. In an initial vote initiated by a citizens' initiative in the fall of 2023, 58% voted against an "underground" S-Link, and the state of Salzburg subsequently announced a state-wide survey.

"If the city's population is against it, so are we," Auinger emphasized in a press release on Friday afternoon. "Nevertheless, we want to determine and communicate any funding in advance." Until the public consultation, citizens should be informed as comprehensively as possible about the S-LINK - including a "Plan B" if the railroad does not go ahead. This could include, for example, a city toll or the expansion of parking space management, as well as the acceleration and expansion of public transport, cycling and walking.

If there is no agreement from the state, the City of Salzburg will carry out a second survey on its own initiative. Independently of the S-LINK, the plan for a railroad from the exhibition grounds to Mirabellplatz will be pursued further.