Good nerves required

DB construction sites exacerbate bottleneck at the Brenner Pass

The refurbishment of the German network will have an impact on the Rolling Road.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof/Christof Birbaumer)

Deutsche Bahn's renovation offensive will also have an impact in Tyrol. ÖBB wants to negotiate a postponement. A small foretaste of this is the construction work on the western route, which will cost rail commuters patience and nerves from Thursday. 

As reported, work is being carried out in Salzburg, Upper Austria and Lower Austria. Among other things, all long-distance trains will depart Vienna 30 minutes earlier or arrive up to 30 minutes later than normal. The WestBahn is also affected by the construction work. A foretaste of what Austria can expect when the general refurbishment of Deutsche Bahn (DB) arrives in Bavaria.

We want to maintain the detour capacities for freight traffic at around 80 percent.

ÖBB-Sprecher Robert Mosser

DB is renovating a total of 40 lines
A total of 40 lines will be renovated, with the Nuremberg-Regensburg-Passau section being renovated in 2026 and the Munich-Rosenheim-Salzburg section in 2027. These are routes that are of great importance for freight and passenger transport across the German corner and over the Brenner Pass.

In Austria, preparations are already underway. The aim is to keep complete closures short and to develop alternative measures, explains ÖBB spokesman Robert Mosser. "We want to maintain the detour capacities in freight traffic at around 80 percent," he says, but warns: "The detour traffic will bring the Austrian network to the limits of its capacity over large areas."

The bottleneck at the Brenner Pass will get worse.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

ÖBB wants to negotiate a postponement of one year
The journey over the Brenner Pass will be particularly challenging. Between Munich and Rosenheim, one of the most important axes for freight traffic over the pass, a closure of five (!) months is planned for the first half of 2027. At the same time, the Lueg Bridge on the A13 is also under construction - chaos is inevitable. "We are trying to achieve a postponement of one year," explains Mosser. Intensive talks are currently underway with the German and Italian infrastructure operators.

ÖBB is expecting stronger demand for the Rolling Road (ROLA). "We will do everything we can to offer an alternative for as many trucks as possible."