Starting point still open

Application submitted: Westbahn also wants to go south

Westbahn is now also setting course for southern Austria.

(Bild: Westbahn)

Until now, the private Westbahn has avoided Styria and Carinthia - but in future it also wants to operate on the southern line. This should be the case by the end of 2029 at the latest, and an application for approval has already been submitted.

At the beginning of the year, Westbahn Managing Director Thomas Posch announced the private rail company's plans to also operate on the Southern Railway in the future. An application has now been submitted to the "Schienen Control" authority - for five daily connections from December 2025, when the Koralm Tunnel between Styria and Carinthia goes into operation. The trains are to run between Vienna and Villach.

These are "basic applications and considerations so as not to miss deadlines," emphasizes Westbahn spokesman Ademir Jatic. By the end of 2025, however, there will probably still be no Westbahn trains heading south. This is because the company has double-decker trains that cannot be used on the current Semmering mountain route.

The Westbahn

• The main line of the Westbahn, which was founded in 2008 , is between Vienna and Salzburg. There are now also connections to Munich, Innsbruck and Bregenz. There are also plans to serve Stuttgart soon.
• Current ownership structure: 49.9 percent of the shares are held by the Haselsteiner Family Private Foundation, 32.7 percent by Augusta Holding (owned by restructurer Erhard Grossnig) and 17.4 percent by the French railroad company SNCF.
• Group turnover rose from 90 million euros in the previous year to over 120 million euros in 2023, with profits increasing from four to ten million euros. Eight million passengers were welcomed.

Waiting for the Semmering Tunnel
In other words: you have to wait until the Semmering Base Tunnel between Styria and Lower Austria goes into operation - currently planned for December 2029. Or you can buy other, single-decker train material before then; the "Kurier" recently reported on "Stadler Smile" trains from Switzerland. Renting is also an option.

"However, like other railroad companies, we are faced with the challenge of getting the right rolling stock quickly," emphasizes Jatic. The delivery times are therefore long, and the starting point on the southern route is still completely open.