After 26 years of construction

Koralmbahn is finished, test runs are now starting

Light at the end of the tunnel: the Koralmbahn will go into operation in a year's time

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

It was a historic Thursday morning at the Weststeiermark train station in Groß St. Florian: the Koralm Tunnel is finally finished after 26 years of construction. Regular operations will start in exactly one year, until then tests and training sessions are underway. The "Krone" was there for a test drive.

It's no ordinary working day for train driver Florian Rettensteiner from Gnas. Today he is at the wheel of a special train at the almost completed Weststeiermark station. On the train are ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä, Infrastructure Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens), state governors from Carinthia and Styria and lots of journalists. "It's something special and feels a bit strange," says the young man, who is traveling through the Koralm Tunnel for the first time. "You can still enjoy it now. It's different at 250 km/h."

This journey is a goosebump moment, says project manager Klaus Schneider. "Tens of thousands of people have worked on this project. Every screw here was planned and installed by a person. This engineering achievement is amazing."

Train driver Florian Rettensteiner and Michael Reitberger (left)

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Last meters for the project of the century
33 kilometers long, two tubes, 70 cross-passages in which most of the technology is installed: In less than ten minutes' travel time, around 180 trains a day will transport thousands of passengers and many important goods on the line between the Lavant Valley and Deutschlandsberg. "I've been involved in the railroad for almost 30 years," says Schneider. The project of the century will be completed in a year's time. Then you will get on in Graz and 45 minutes later get off again in Klagenfurt.

What will happen until then? "First, we will connect this infrastructure with the rest of the ÖBB world. Test runs will follow in the second quarter, then we have to train the employees, fire departments and maintenance staff. Freight traffic will then start in the fourth quarter," summarizes the project manager. The costs for the entire project amount to 6.1 billion euros.

Provincial Councillor Ursula Lackner, Project Manager Klaus Schneider, Minister Leonore Gewessler, Deputy Governor Gaby Schaunig, ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

A new economic area is being created
December 2025 will change the lives of around two million local residents, create a new economic area and connect Carinthia and Styria more closely. "The train will be unrivaled, people will leave their cars behind," says Minister Leonore Gewessler.

"This railroad line will change the reality of people's lives, it will change mobility, work and leisure opportunities," says ÖBB boss Matthä, but it will also link the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic. "The connection between Gdansk and Bologna will then run through Austria. This is a key factor for the economy."

ÖBB boss Andreas Matthä on the train towards the Koralm Tunnel

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Proud day for project manager Klaus Schneider

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

Gaby Schaunig, Deputy Governor (SPÖ) in Carinthia, even compares the effects of the Koralm Railway with those of EU accession: "We are moving into the center of Europe, and that changes a lot. A new central area is being created. Economic growth radiates from Graz to Villach and beyond." 

We have a bright future.

Ursula Lackner, Landesrätin (SPÖ)

In Styria, it is now a matter of providing good public connections to the Weststeiermark train station, say the two provincial councillors Werner Amon (ÖVP) and Ursula Lackner (SPÖ). "This axis is a small sensation," says Amon. "We can't even imagine the dynamic that will develop." Lackner sums it up: "We have a bright future."