Traffic audit

Railroad expansion in the Rhine Valley enters the next phase

Could these tracks soon run underground? Probably not soon, but perhaps at some point. ÖBB is working together with municipalities, the federal government and the state on a solution for the railroad expansion in the Lower Rhine Valley.

(Bild: Stadt Bregenz / Stiplovsek Dietmar)

Slowly but surely: ÖBB is taking one step after another to press ahead with the expansion of the railroad tracks in the Rhine Valley: The first step is to examine the need for the expansion.

The fact that the railroad network in the Lower Rhine Valley needs to be expanded seems to be clear to all those responsible - i.e. ÖBB, the federal government, municipalities and the state of Vorarlberg. What is less clear, however, is what exactly this upgrade should look like, what specific effects are to be achieved and what costs are ultimately associated with it.

In order to gain more clarity on all of these issues, the next step is a "Strategic Transport Review" at the Federal Ministry. This will analyze the fundamental necessity of expanding the rail network across all modes of transport and examine the most significant effects on the economy, society and the environment. This analysis is to be launched in the second half of 2025.

Routing

The specific technical design of the necessary measures - such as the exact local route - will be the subject of the subsequent planning phases. The public will also be involved in this phase, ÖBB announced on Wednesday: "It is very important to us to set out the necessary process steps in a structured and transparent manner," emphasized Michael Mangeng, ÖBB Asset Manager for the Western Region.

Specifically, this involves the expansion of the sections Hard - Lustenau, Wolfurt - Bregenz, Bregenz-Hafen - Lochau and adaptations at Dornbirn station. The double-track expansion between Hard and Lustenau is considered particularly urgent. In addition, the possibility of an underground solution for the Unterland region has been the subject of intensive discussions for years.

Pulling together

On behalf of the heads of the other affected municipalities in the Rhine Valley, Elmar Rhomberg, Mayor of Lauterach, reiterated the interest in pulling together: "We can see that all stakeholders are interested in the best solution for the expansion in the Rhine Valley. The mayors of the region and the members of the Vorarlberg state parliament will continue to campaign for an underground solution from the Wolfurt freight terminal to the German state border. Now we need to join forces and take the next steps so that the plans can take shape."

 Last year, the rail infrastructure in the Rhine Valley was included in the 20240 target network, i.e. the federal government's long-term strategy for expanding the rail network in Austria.

However, the formal adoption of the draft target network by the federal government is still pending. In addition, no funds have yet been earmarked for the project in the Rhine Valley in the ÖBB framework plan. This means that ÖBB "cannot yet derive a comprehensive mandate from this and there are also no financial resources available to start a more detailed and comprehensive process in the Rhine Valley," explained the infrastructure company. Patience is therefore still required.