Kirchtag & meadow market

Public transport increasingly popular: by train to the traditional festival

It's easy to get to Villach Kirchtag by train!

(Bild: Fister Katrin)

More and more visitors to the meadow markets in Bleiburg and St. Veit as well as the Villach Kirchtag are switching to public transport.

The Villacher Kirchtag and the meadow markets in Bleiburg and St. Veit have a combined history of more than 1300 years and are a huge crowd puller. At Villach Kirchtag alone, 500,000 people flock to the town center to celebrate together. And more and more visitors are choosing not to travel by car.

ÖBB has been offering special trains for the Kirchtag since 2014. The service has been regularly expanded and the S-Bahn now runs every hour until closing time. "This year, we were able to provide all three traditional festivals with an hourly service for the first time," explains ÖBB Regional Manager Reinhard Wallner. This year, 83,000 passengers were counted during the Villach Customs Week. Last year there were 70,000 passengers.

The S-Bahn service celebrated its premiere at the Bleiburger Wiesenmarkt. With a train stop right next to the festival grounds, the "Wiesn" is predestined for a public transport connection. The service was used by around 1000 passengers this year. "In St. Veit, the Wiesenmarkt has been served by a regular service since 2019. Passenger numbers here increased by 11,000 passengers.

Criticism of transport concepts
"In addition to the major traditional festivals, we generally see ourselves as a service provider for mobility at major events," reports Wallner. According to Wallner, we proactively approach event organizers to ensure smooth public transport connections. Wallner is critical of the legal framework: "The Events Act stipulates a traffic concept for events with a certain number of visitors. However, it does not provide for public access. Rather, it is about having enough parking spaces."

The aim is to further expand train and bus services for major events - such as concerts in the Klagenfurt stadium or the Wörthersee Ostbucht as well as sporting events. Wallner: "There are also many opportunities with regard to the Koralm Railway and thus faster connections to the Graz area."