Road has priority

The historic Feistritz Valley Railway is threatened with extinction

The expansion of the B 72, which has now been decided by the Birkfeld municipal council, could mean the end of the historic train that derailed last year. 

It's bad news for the dedicated operators and volunteer supporters of the Weizer Feistritztalbahn, which has been running out of steam for more than a year (two carriages of the listed train derailed in July 2023): At the most recent municipal council meeting in Birkfeld, the green light was given for the expansion of the B72 - and with it, the stop sign for the historic railroad.

Instead of continuing to pursue the train line as a tourist project, it is now to be used as a reserve for a cycle and walking path, the local ÖVP (Austrian People's Party) agreed, with the exception of one of its mandataries. The Freedom Party, on the other hand, had tabled an initiative motion aimed at reconciling the continued existence of the Feistritztalbahn with the expansion of the road and closing the gap in the local cycle path - but without success.

The derailed wagons(Bild: zVg)

"With this decision, the ÖVP has unfortunately heralded the end of the Feistritztalbahn. The construction concept for the B 72 should simply have taken into account the route of this historic railroad line and the expansion of the cycle path," criticizes Birkfeld's Deputy Mayor and FPÖ Member of Parliament Patrick Derler. However, they will continue to try to save the railroad. That is why the Freedom Party will now bring the issue to the floor of the upcoming state parliament.

Fans of the Feistritztalbahn are fighting to preserve it
Daniel Maier, chairman of the "Club U44, Friends of the Feistritztalbahn", expressed his disappointment to the "Steirerkrone" newspaper: "Previous project plans have always envisaged harmonizing rail, cycling and road. It is incomprehensible that a railroad infrastructure that has existed for 113 years should now simply be abandoned."