Line from Salzburg

No to the Ischl line annoys people in the Salzkammergut region

This is what one set of the new Ischlerbahn could look like. A branch is to run from the Salzburg S-Link to Bad Ischl, where the trainsets could be used. This is being discussed in Salzburg.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/zVg)

It is well known that Salzburg wants to extend its S-Link to Bad Ischl, but Linz has turned it down: this is now causing excitement and outrage in the Salzkammergut. You can read why here. 

The "Krone" newspaper reported the details of this public transport project last week: a branch of the S-Link planned in Salzburg (a connection from north to south in the provincial capital) is to extend to Bad Ischl. Transport planners have now been commissioned to look for possible routes.

Red criticism of the blue transport minister
However, even before official talks with Upper Austria, Transport Minister Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ) rejected the project. He told the "Krone" newspaper that the plans were utopian and that the Linz regional light rail system had priority. SPÖ transport spokesman Tobias Höglinger says: "Instead of at least trying to constructively take up the Salzburg initiative on our side of the federal state border, he waves it away and tells the population in the Salzkammergut that there can be no rail projects elsewhere because once again everything has to be done in the central region."

Old route abandoned in 1957
The current plans envisage reactivating the Ischler Bahn. The problem with this is that the old route of the railroad to Salzburg, which was discontinued in 1957, is now blocked and a new one would have to be found. The SPÖ MP is surprised that Steinkellner's transport department cannot handle two "challenging rail projects at the same time". Höglinger suggests that the residents of the Salzkammergut should contact LH Thomas Stelzer straight away in order to make progress on the matter. Regarding the Linz regional light rail system, Höglinger says: "Only the governor and the construction director were able to finalize the project together with the mayor of Linz," the Blacks receive praise from the Reds.