The rest of the timetable

GKB: First railroad section now under power

Installing the traction current systems is a mammoth project

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/GKB/Karl-Heinz Ferk, Harry Schiffer Photodesign)

The GKB railroad lines in Western Styria are being electrified. It is a mega-project that will cost more than 500 million euros (including all conversions and extensions)! The electrification of the first section will be completed at the beginning of August, but the big sticking point in Graz is yet to come.

In the shadow of the Koralm Railway construction, a second huge rail project is being implemented in the direction of Western Styria. The existing GKB lines to Köflach (S7) and Eibiswald-Wies (S6 and S61) are being electrified. This means that in future the trains will be powered by electricity instead of diesel. Around 3500 overhead line masts have to be erected for this. 

The first section is now complete. It is a short but significant one - from Graz main station to Graz-Köflacher station. From August 5, the installations will be under high voltage. The ÖBB, which has recently taken over the GKB infrastructure, is warning residents by post that there is a danger to life if they climb onto wagons. 

The GKB line in Graz runs through a densely populated area

(Bild: Krone kreativ)

A much longer section will follow at the end of August: the section between Wettmannstätten and Wies-Eibswald will then be electrified. According to ÖBB, construction work in the Lieboch to Wettmannstätten area will start this summer. 

Two sections will then remain: from Graz-Köflacherbahnhof to Lieboch and from Lieboch to Köflach. "We are currently preparing the legal submissions for these sections. From today's perspective, work will start at the end of 2025," says ÖBB.

Expansion in Graz causes resistance
In Graz, the matter is tricky, as residents in the west of the city do not agree with the plans and a citizens' initiative has been formed. In particular, a planned double-track expansion in the Wetzelsdorf district, between Wetzelsdorfer Straße and Grottenhofstraße, is causing resistance. An information event held last year did nothing to calm people down, quite the opposite. Now a new date is to follow, but it has not yet been set. 

According to ÖBB, the main work for the double-track expansion is currently scheduled to start in 2027. Some preliminary work is already planned for 2026.

According to ÖBB, the overall project will cost 542 million euros. In addition to the entire electrification (160 million euros), it also includes the conversion of stations, making stops more attractive, the partial double-track expansion, various signal boxes and the removal or securing of railroad crossings. 

New trains are ordered
In addition, there is the new train material that GKB needs due to the electrification. The procurement process has started, but is not yet complete, says GKB spokesman Ernst Suppan. In any case, the first trains powered by electricity should be on the move by the end of 2025.