Replacement traffic planned

Tauern Tunnel closure starts on Monday and lasts until July

A view of the route in Mallnitz, Carinthia

(Bild: Kronen Zeitung)

The eight-month closure of one of the most important rail links across the Austrian Alps starts next Monday. The 115-year-old, 8,371-metre-long ÖBB Tauern Tunnel between Böckstein in Salzburg and Mallnitz in Carinthia will be renovated. The closure will last until July 13, 2025 and will have a major impact on local and long-distance traffic. 

The Federal Railways have set up rail replacement services for travelers, commuters and cycle tourists on the popular Alpe-Adria Cycle Path. In addition to the renovation of the tunnel lining due to regular water ingress, construction work on the tunnel portals and a renewal of the safety technology, the Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein and Dorfgastein railroad stations are being modernized. Work is also underway on viaducts, culverts and noise barriers, and the Lieser Bridge near Spittal an der Drau is also being renewed.

Hourly bus frequency, exception for Gastein
For the duration of the closure, freight traffic and night trains will be rerouted over a wide area, while buses will be used as a substitute for passenger traffic. From November 18, buses will run every hour between Bischofshofen and Spittal an der Drau. There will be no intermediate stops. The Gastein Valley will remain accessible for winter tourism from the north by train until March 2025. From March 3, 2025, there will be a rail replacement service between Schwarzach im Pongau and Bad Gastein. In Carinthia, there will be timetable changes to long-distance and local services, while the rail routes between Spittal and Lienz and between Spittal and Mallnitz-Obervellach will remain in operation.

The closure means time-consuming detours, especially for those commuters who normally travel through the Tauern lock with car loading between Mallnitz and Böckstein. An additional bus service from Mallnitz and Obervellach to Bad Gastein has been introduced for them. But instead of eleven minutes by train, commuters will then have to travel for almost three hours - in each direction. "This affects around 70 people in Mölltal," said Mallnitz Mayor Günter Novak (SPÖ). "Many work in health resorts in the Gastein Valley or at the hospital in Schwarzach. Accommodation has been organized so that the outward and return journey is only necessary once a week." Others would rely on home office arrangements or blocked working hours - or have found jobs in Carinthia.

Commuters and tourism are affected
In the opposite direction, employees of logging companies from Salzburg who process beetle wood in Carinthia are likely to be particularly affected. Novak fears that the lockdown will have a negative impact on tourism. Mallnitz is located on the popular Alpe-Adria cycle path from Salzburg to Grado, which attracts many visitors, especially in May, June and July. ÖBB recently recorded over 30,000 cyclists crossing the Tauern lock each year. From April 11, 2025, there will therefore be a bike shuttle between Mallnitz and Bad Gastein (10 euros each way, max. 35 bikes).

"But it is also a fact that there is no way around the renovation of the tunnel," emphasized Novak. The opening of the Koralm Tunnel next year will also improve the connection to Mallnitz. International trains will then stop every hour.

Once the work has been completed, car trains will run again from July 5, with full service starting on July 14. However, a second construction phase is expected to be necessary in the first half of 2027. The tunnel will then be closed for another five months.