ÖBB decides

Freight transport remains along the Wörthersee

Freight traffic should continue to run along the Wörthersee.

(Bild: Uta Rojsek-Wiedergut)

According to ÖBB, freight transport will continue to run along the Wörthersee. The reason given for this is that from the end of the year, freight traffic will run on quiet tracks. Carinthian politicians are not satisfied with this. 

There will be no new route for freight traffic, which is currently running along Lake Wörthersee and upsetting local residents. This has now been announced by ÖBB. "It will not be included in the target network," it says. 

Quiet tracks as an alternative?
ÖBB spokeswoman Rosanna Zernatto-Peschel announced that freight traffic will run on quiet tracks from next year. "A tunnel more than 60 kilometers long from Klagenfurt to Villach would be a multi-billion euro project with very little benefit," Zernatto-Peschel continues. 

For Carinthian politicians, the last word has not yet been spoken
"ÖBB is once again shamelessly letting the people of Carinthia down. I will not accept this ruthless approach on the back of a federal province," said Carinthia's Transport Minister Sebastian Schuschnig, harshly criticizing ÖBB's statements. According to these statements, both a dedicated freight railway line for the central region and a long-distance stop in Kühnsdorf are off the table at ÖBB. Schuschnig wants to continue to fight for the inclusion of a freight railway line in the ÖBB framework plan. 

The fact that she is now leaving the Carinthians and above all their children with an unacceptable traffic burden is unacceptable. The last word has not yet been spoken.

sagt Günther Vallant, Gemeindebundpräsident Kärnten

Governor Peter Kaiser also has clear words: "We will not simply accept this no to the protection of 200,000 Carinthians suffering from noise pollution and hundreds of tourism and catering businesses in the central region and the disadvantage Carinthia also suffers in Lower Carinthia. At the end of the day, ÖBB is 100 percent owned by the Republic. The final decision has to be made by the federal government. The last word has not yet been spoken!"

"Government ignores the population"
"What's next? Even higher taxes? No change to the highest electricity grid costs for Carinthia? Our province is being starved of infrastructure and the ÖVP-led federal government is ignoring the railway-noise-plagued population," criticizes Carinthia's FP leader Erwin Angerer.

The head of Carinthia's Association of Towns and Villach's mayor Günther Albel also speaks of an appalling mistake on the part of ÖBB, because "it has long been known that freight traffic will increase from year to year."