Trouble with Upper Austrian provincial council

Local railroads are waiting for money from the Finance Minister

Investments of 45 million euros are planned for the LILO between 2021 and 2025.

(Bild: Werner Pöchinger)

A few days after his inauguration, the new Finance Minister makes the acquaintance of Upper Austria's Infrastructure Minister Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ). He is angry because investment funds already promised in writing for the local railroads are apparently being withheld by the federal government.

Transport Minister Günther Steinkellner is not on good terms with the Finance Minister, "whoever feels they are de facto in charge at the moment". Officially, this is Gunter Mayr, who was sworn into office last Wednesday. However, Steinkellner's anger was probably caused by Mayr's predecessor, Magnus Brunner (ÖVP). The FPÖ politician accuses the Ministry of Finance of not releasing some of the investment funds for the Upper Austrian local railroads that had already been approved by the Ministry of Transport. 

70 million euros for four railroads
A total of EUR 70 million has been earmarked for maintenance and expansion measures in the so-called 9th Medium-Term Investment Program (MIP) between 2021 and 2025 - the majority of which (EUR 45 million) is for the Linzer Lokalbahn (LILO), but also for the Traunseebahn (EUR 16.5 million), the Atterseebahn (EUR 9.5 million) and the Vorchdorferbahn (EUR 9 million). For Steinkellner, this program is "an important and serious instrument for securing infrastructure, regionality, environmental protection and also connections between providers.

I cannot understand why our local transport operators and their necessary projects receive a written commitment from the BMK but are then rebuffed by the Minister of Finance.

Günther Steinkellner (FPÖ), Verkehrslandesrat

Waiting for 3.7 million euros
However: the local transport operators were "rebuffed by the Minister of Finance" despite a written commitment from the Ministry of Transport, criticized Steinkellner. Specifically, in March this year, Stern & Hafferl Verkehrsgesellschaft applied to the federal and state governments for a three percent value adjustment to the approved program for the remaining term of the MIP in 2024 and 2025. This amounts to a total of almost 3.7 million euros, half of which comes from the federal government. Steinkellner is demanding that this money must now be released "without compromise".