Koralm Railway

Graz Hbf − Wettmannstätten − Klagenfurt Hbf
Route length:	127 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	8  ‰
Minimum radius :	3000 m
Top speed:	250 km / h
Legend Southern runway 0.000 Graz Central Station 364  m above sea level A. Köflacherbahn 1.715 Graz Don Bosco 358 m above sea level Styrian Eastern Railway several street underpasses 4.803 Graz Puntigam 346  m above sea level A. Grazer Ring Strasse B 67a several street underpasses Grazer Strasse B 67 7,050 Feldkirchen / Seiersberg 340  m above sea level A. South Autobahn A2 7.440 planned Branch off Steirische Ostbahn 7.440 Südbahn to Spielfeld-Straß 7,985-9,800 Graz Airport 8.727 Unterfurtrasse Feldkirchen - Airport (3249 m) Bierbaumerstraße underpass (L373) 16,592 Connection to the Graz Süd terminal Großsulzstraße underpass (L381) 17.611 Junction Wundschuh 20.101 Weitendorf junction 20.575 Weitendorf underpass (A9 & L603, 1275 m) Kainach Bridge (115 m) Kombergstrasse 22.665 Hengsberg Tunnel (L601, 1695 m) 24.371-24.860 Hengsberg St.-Nikolai-Strasse (L634) Predingerstrasse (L303) Schröttenstrasse (L601) Stainzbach 30.048 Junction between the track triangle at Wohlsdorf (to Lieboch) 30.917 Wieserbahn from Lieboch Wohlsdorferstrasse underpass (L639) 30.320-31.756 Wettmannstätten 31,957 Wieserbahn to Wies-Eibiswald Schröttenstrasse (L601) 33.912 Lassnitz Sulzhofstrasse underpass (L637) 38,050 Wieserbahn from Lieboch 37.590-39.149 West Styria 38,577 Wieserbahn to Wies-Eibiswald 40.834 Koralm tunnel east portal (32,894 m) State border Styria / Carinthia 73.728 Koralm tunnel west portal Lavant Valley Railway 73.772-75.627 Lavanttal L135 German slides (2550 m) Granitztal enclosure (430 m) Long mountain (3096 m) Jauntal Bridge 90 Aich / Wiederndorf 93.879 Jauntalbahn connecting track Wild crossing Municipal roads 7x 93.879 Drautalbahn from Maribor 94,300 Mediators 101.552 Kühnsdorf green bridge (495 m) 102.327-102.923 Kühnsdorf / Klopeinersee 103.509 Peratschitzen green bridge (160 m) 104.100 Srejach tunnel (620 m) 105.200 Untersammelsdorf tunnel (664 m) 107.200 Stein tunnel (2100 m) Outside Lind tunnel (490 m) Drautalbahn from Maribor Enclosure Grafenstein 633 m 113.414-115.824 Grafenstein 12 underpasses / overpasses Gurk and Glan Bridge 129 Klagenfurt Ebenthal Rosentalbahn from St. Veit an der Glan 124.092-125.350 Klagenfurt Fbf 125,350- Klagenfurt Hbf 440  m above sea level A. Rosentalbahn to Jesenice Drautalbahn to San Candido / Innichen

Coordinates: 46 ° 46 '  N , 15 ° 1'  E

The Koralmbahn (the original name was Koralpenbahn ) is the largest project currently underway to expand the Austrian railway network. Up until now, the central areas of Graz and Klagenfurt have only been connected via Bruck an der Mur by a complicated railroad . For the first time, the Koralmbahn will enable the direct route. Commissioning has been taking place gradually since the end of 2010. The entire route is expected to be completed in December 2025 and the journey time from Graz to Klagenfurt will be reduced from the current three to one hour. Since it is designed for up to 250 km / h, it is, next to the Westbahn , the fastest navigable railway line in Austria and therefore also a high-performance line.

The planned costs are around 5.2 billion euros (price as of 2009).

The centerpiece of the Koralm Railway is the Koralm Tunnel , which runs through the Koralpe and gives the railway line its name.

overview

The disintegration of the Danube monarchy after the First World War made continuous use of the existing Marburg an der Drau –Klagenfurt southern railway line outside of Austria's territory considerably more difficult because large parts of the line were now in Yugoslavia. Therefore, a direct rail connection across the Koralpe was sought as an alternative. In 1930 the construction time was estimated at three years and the cost (then) around 75 million schillings. At that time, the building was also seen as a means against unemployment and raised a question of fate for Styria and Carinthia. However, construction did not begin. Even after the Second World War, under the impression of the “ Iron Curtain ”, a Koralpenbahn and a Koralpen tunnel were repeatedly requested. In 1990 the Grazer Kleine Zeitung headlined a guest commentary with "Koralpenbahn with twenty years delay". In the end, when the project started, the Kor alm railway became the Kor alm railway.

The future Koralm line is part of the international rail corridor of the Baltic-Adriatic axis with the Pontafelbahn , which has already been completed on Italian territory up to the Tarvisio Boscoverde border station . This traffic axis runs as an international corridor from Bologna – Venice – Udine – Tarvis – Villach – Klagenfurt – St. Andrä – Deutschlandsberg via Graz – Semmering – Vienna – Warsaw to Gdansk . In a declaration of intent dated October 12, 2006, the transport and infrastructure ministers of the EU states Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Italy declared that they would work to ensure that this axis was implemented in the course of the revision of the EU's TEN guidelines in 2009 / 10 is to be included in the highest-ranking rail network in the EU.

The heart of the Koralm Railway is the Koralm Tunnel . Until 2009, exploratory tunnels were driven on both the Carinthian and the Styrian side . In the Frauental in western Styria, the groundbreaking ceremony for the "Koralm Tunnel I" construction lot took place on March 20, 2009, with which the actual tunneling was officially started. The Koralm Tunnel should first be completed with a single track by 2016, the Graz– Deutschlandsberg section with a single track by the end of 2010. The estimated total costs of the Koralm Railway amount to EUR 4.9 billion according to the 2007–2012 master plan. The date for the final completion of the route has been postponed several times. Was originally talked about 2016 or 2018, it is now said that the completion by 2026 will take place in connection with the completion of the Semmering base tunnel .

Since July 13, 2008, the Wieserbahn has been using part of the completed Koralmbahn route for scheduled traffic.

Since the timetable change on December 12, 2010, the route from Graz to Wies-Eibiswald has been run by the GKB, instead of via Lieboch as before , via the Südbahn and Koralmbahn. This will also serve the new Hengsberg stop and reduce the travel time on the Graz – Deutschlandsberg route from 55 minutes (via Lieboch) to 40 minutes (via Werndorf).

Sections

Graz – Weitendorf

Connection of the Koralmbahn to the Südbahn and the Köflacherbahn

In December 2002 the construction of the four-track section Graz Hbf – Graz Don Bosco began , which will also be part of a future expanded railway line Graz – Maribor . In July 2005 this section was completed and put into operation after a two-year construction period.

• Route length: 7.0 km
• Longitudinal slope max .: 8 ‰
• Engineering structures: 13 underpasses
• Construction progress : Construction completed and double-track commissioned (prepared for four tracks)

In addition, the Feldkirchen – Kalsdorf Nord route was expanded to the south in order to better connect the newly built Werndorf freight terminal to the existing route network.

In 2019, work will begin on the route between Graz and Weitendorf. In total, this section has a length of 19 kilometers, which will be built for a top speed of 250 km / h, 12 bridges and a 3.2 km long underground route. In addition, the Don Bosco, Puntigam and Feldkirchen train stations will be made barrier-free. The new section will initially be partially single-track, electrified and equipped with modern security technology and ETCS 2 . A later continuous double-track expansion and a stopping point directly at Graz Airport will be taken into account in the planning and construction. Due to the densely populated area, the route is led in the area south of the A-2 crossing, under the federal highway B 67 to the airport and to Zettling in a tunnel. In this way, the highest level of environmental and noise protection is achieved. Twelve new bridges will be built as part of the Koralmbahn section - six railway bridges and six road bridges. The bridge over the A 9 in the area of ​​the municipal road Werndorf / Weitendorf received special architectural attention . It has a span of 125 meters, weighs 3500 tons and is considered to be the future gateway to the Koralm Railway. At Don Bosco station, the existing outer platform will be expanded to become an island platform and a new outer platform will be built. A new island platform is also being built at Puntigam station. Feldkirchen train station is getting a new lift system.

Weitendorf – Wettmannstätten - Missing airport connections

The Koralmbahn is supposed to run right past Graz Airport, a stop has not yet been planned.

The Weitendorf– Wettmannstätten section was designed to improve the connection of Graz-Thalerhof Airport to the public transport network by pivoting . For the airport, an underground train station was planned to be integrated directly into the airport building , where long-distance trains could stop. In the end, however, the implementation was not planned.

In the Feldkirchen area, the Styrian Eastern Railway is to be connected to the Koralm Railway in the future. The route selection for this link was completed in June 2008.

Construction of the 1,695 m long Hengsberg tunnel between Werndorf and Wettmannstätten started in mid-2008. The tunnel breakthrough took place on April 30, 2009.

• Route length: 24.3 km
• Longitudinal inclination max .: 10 ‰
• Length of tunnel and underground routes: 5.8 km
• Tunnel excavation cross-section with base vault (mining): 117 m²
• Tunnel cross-section, final expansion: 77 m²
• Engineering structures: 2 underground lines, 1 tunnel, various bridges
• Construction progress: Section Werndorf - Weitendorf - Wettmannstätten in partial operation
• Commissioning: Werndorf – Hengsberg – Wettmannstätten: Since December 12, 2010 as a single-track diesel-powered S-Bahn line

The heart of the Hengsberg tunnel

In the long 1.7 kilometer single-tube and double-track Hengsbergtunnel came three different construction methods are used: the closed and the open construction and cover method (south portal of Hengbergtunnels). With the open construction method , an excavation pit is dug in advance in which the tunnel structure is built. The excavation is then backfilled. The choice of the type of tunneling depends on the topographical conditions and economic considerations. The tunnel shell was built as a water pressure-tight white tank . The technique of the white tub is a construction method that, through special concrete compositions and increased reinforcement, enables watertight structures to be erected in layers that carry groundwater without additional seals. The majority of the Hengsberg tunnel was constructed conventionally using excavators or blasting. The interior of the tunnel was completed in May 2010. The superstructure was designed as a solid roadway that can be driven on by road vehicles. This construction method is preferred in tunnels and tunnels because it is most economically expedient in terms of difficult accessibility, construction, repair, renewal and operational boundary conditions.

Wettmannstätten – Deutschlandsberg – St. Andrä – St. Paul

West portal of the future Koralm tunnel (Mitterpichling exploration tunnel, picture from 2007)

West Styria railway station

In September 2017, construction of the Weststeiermark train station began east of the portal of the Koralm tunnel in the municipality of Groß Sankt Florian . Regional and long-distance trains are to stop there. The station is to have eight tracks, around 400 Park & ​​Ride spaces, infrastructure for e-mobility and a covered access area for buses and taxis. It should go into operation in December 2024 , at the same time as the access routes to Graz and Klagenfurt. The travel time to Graz should be around 25 minutes (compared to 40 minutes from Deutschlandsberg before).

Koralm tunnel

The 32.8 km long Koralm tunnel is located in the Wettmannstätten - Deutschlandsberg - St. Andrä construction section . The east tunnel portal of the Koralm tunnel is located in the southern municipality of Frauental. The underground course of the Koralmbahn leads through the municipal areas of Frauental an der Laßnitz, Deutschlandsberg (in this area the Leibenfeld intermediate attack also takes place), Schwanberg and Wies further on to the Carinthian side of the Koralm tunnel.

In Carinthia, the tunnel route runs through the municipal areas of St. Georgen and St. Andrä in Lavanttal. The Paierdorf shaft was built at Landesstrasse 140. The Mitterpichling intermediate attack is located about 700 m before the end of the Koralm tunnel (west portal). The present project section ends with the west portal. This is where the connection to the neighboring “Lavanttal station” section takes place.

• Route length: 43.8 km
• Longitudinal inclination max .: 6 ‰
• Tunnel length: 32.8 km
• Tunnel excavation cross-section with base vault: 2 × 82 m²
• Tunnel cross-section of the final extension: 2 × 51 m²
• Engineering structures: Koralm tunnel, various bridge objects

• Construction progress: Wettmannstätten – Deutschlandsberg under construction since January 2008.

Exploratory drillings have been carried out since May 2002, which led to the construction of exploratory tunnels. These explorations provided the basis for commissioning the excavation work for the railway tunnel. Construction lot Koralm Tunnel 1 (KAT1) started in Styria in 2008.

• 2008 to 2013 tunnel construction lot KAT1
• 2008 to 2010 Preparatory measures in Lavanttal: u. a. Lavant bridge, lavant relocation, construction of the transfer track at the tunnel portal
• since 2011: Tunnel construction lot KAT2 including the creation of the free stretch to Wettmannstätten
• 2013: Completion of the bridge objects on the open road
• since 2013: tunnel construction lot KAT3, January 2014 tunnel stop KAT3
• by 2014: Modernization of the Wolfsberg, St. Stefan, St. Andrä train stations and relocation of the Priel stop
• from October 2017 production of concrete inner shell CAT 2
• August 14, 2018 Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the south tube
• June 17, 2020 final Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the north tube

Three tunnel boring machines (“Mauli 1” and “Mauli 2” from Strabag and “Kora” from Porr ) are used for the tunnel construction . The tunnel will be built using the segmental construction method.

St. Paul-Aich

Most of the St. Paul-Aich section will be tunneled. The environmental impact assessment was concluded with a positive result, the railway construction permit is available.

• Route length: 7.8 km
• Longitudinal inclination max .: 10 ‰
• Tunnel length: around 6.0 km
• Tunnel excavation cross-section with base vault: around 2 × 60 m²
• Tunnel net cross-section: 2 × 51 m²
• Engineering structures: two tunnels, Granitztal enclosure, a road and path bridge, two railway bridges

Construction progress

• 2010 Basalt pond near Kollnitz filled
• 2015 Start of construction of the Granitztal tunnel chain; last tunnel breakthrough on December 11, 2017

Lavanttal train station

The Lavanttal train station has been under construction since November 2008 in the municipality of St. Paul in Lavanttal. It will serve as a stop for regional and long-distance trains as well as an overtaking and linking station to the Lavant Valley Railway. It is being built south of the Lavanttal-Boden landfill, where large parts of the excavated material from the Koralm tunnel will previously be dumped. In advance, the area serves as a construction site installation area for the adjacent tunnel construction sections.

Granitztal tunnel chain

The Granitztal tunnel chain is the second longest tunnel system on the Koralm Railway. The construction work began in January 2015. It consists of

• German Grutschen tunnel (2600 m)
• Granitztal enclosure (600 m)
• Langer Berg tunnel (2900 m)

The tunnels each consist of two single-track tubes.

Aich – Althofen / Drau

For the Aich – Althofen section , the environmental impact assessment was successfully completed in March 2004, and the railway law building permit for the Aich – Mittlern area is available. In September 2010, construction work began on lot 60.2 in the Kühnsdorf station area.

• Route length: 28.6 km
• Engineering structures: tunnel, Jauntal bridge , Draubrücke

Construction progress

• Bleiburg Stadt stop: completed
• Bleiburg train station: First construction phase completed in mid-2010
• Lot 60.2 Kühnsdorf: start of construction September 2010, completion December 2013
• Lot 60.6 Draubrücke bei Stein: Start of construction fall 2012, completion December 2014
• Lot 60.4 Development of the St. Kanzian tunnel chain: Start of construction in autumn 2013, completion in autumn 2014
• Lot 60.3 St. Kanzian tunnel chain: Start of construction February 2015
• Lot 60.5 Stein – Lind tunnel chain: construction start February 2016 tunnel breakthrough Lind February 2017, tunnel breakthrough stone July 2017
• Lot 60.1 Mittlern – Kühnsdorf: Start of construction March 2016

Aich-mediators

The previously single-track Jauntal Bridge - with a length of 430 meters and a height of 96 meters above the water level of the Drau, one of the highest railway bridges in Europe - will be given a new structure with a footpath and cycle path below. In advance, the existing bridge piers were examined in September 2015 together with the armed forces. These can continue to be used for the new construction with minor repair work. In the ecologically important forest area of ​​the Dobrowa, two bridges and a culvert are being built so that wild animals can safely cross the railway line and the parallel roads.

Mittlern – Kühnsdorf

Since spring 2016, the approximately 7.5 km long construction section between Kühnsdorf and Mittlern has been largely in the Dobrowa forest area. Among other things, the Globasnitzerbach will be relocated and a railway and road bridge on the L128a Jaunfeldstraße will be built in the area of ​​the future creek bed . The Mittlern stop is to be served by regional traffic from autumn 2020.

Tunnel structures

• The shell of the green tunnel in Kühnsdorf, which was completed at the end of 2013, also serves as noise protection for the residents of Kühnsdorf Mitte. The track construction and the railway equipment in the section should take place in the years 2020 to 2022.
• The shell of the 230-meter-long Peratschitzen green tunnel was completed in July 2017. It was made in an open construction with a rectangular cross-section.
• When tunnel Srejach (620 m), the tunnel ceiling was made in July 2017. Since then the city and excavation work on the inner shell is running.
• In the summer of 2017, the main drive began at the Untersammelsdorf tunnel (665 m). The tunneling work has been completed since the tunnel breakthrough in April 2018.
• The work on the Stein tunnel (2100 m, 600 m of which was cut) was completed in August 2017.
• The Lind tunnel connects the Draubrücke bridge and the part of the Koralm railway between Klagenfurt and Althofen that is already in operation. The tunneling work has been completed since the tunnel breakthrough in February 2017.
• The tunnel boring machine “Mauli 1” got stuck in “fault zones” twice in 2017/18; once from around November 23, 2017 to around February 5, 2018.

On March 23, 2018, Transport Minister Hofer (FPÖ) announced that the commissioning of the Koralmbahn (Graz-Klagenfurt) would be postponed from - previously planned - 2024 to 2026: “You have encountered different rock. It takes longer, “so it would be due to geological causes. Shortly before that, the ÖVP / FPÖ government had presented a savings budget. Hofer mentions that the construction will only be delayed until the Semmering base tunnel will also be completed in order to put the entire new southern runway (Vienna – Graz – Klagenfurt) into operation at the same time as the new Semmering tunnel and the new Koralm tunnel.

Carinthia's governor Peter Kaiser (SPÖ) was promptly “surprised” by the delay.

The Styrian Deputy Governor Michael Schickhofer (SPÖ), who wants to encourage the establishment of companies in western Styria, sees the delays as a "heavy blow for Styria".

Kainz, chairman of the Deutschlandsberg regional office of the Styrian Chamber of Commerce, has no understanding for a delay, sees impending damage and demands planning security for companies.

At the end of May 2018 it was announced that the Koralm Railway should go into operation in December 2025.

• The Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the south tube took place on August 14, 2018.
• The final Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the north tube took place on June 17, 2020.

Althofen / Drau – Klagenfurt

Since March 2001 work has been carried out on the first construction stage of the Althofen – Grafenstein – Klagenfurt section .

• Route length: 12.9 km
• Longitudinal inclination max .: 3.8 ‰
• Tunnel length: Grafenstein enclosure 633 m
• Engineering structures: 12 new underpasses or overpasses

Construction progress

• 1st stage of substructure and bridge construction, single-track superstructure completed in autumn 2007
• Freight station section completed in autumn 2012
• 2nd extension stage double track, construction start March 2015

The section was put into operation in 2016.

Bike info paths

Typical guide

On newly created or already existing sidewalks along the railway line, movement areas for cyclists and other recreational athletes were created in some cases. From the ÖBB Infrastruktur AG , a 70 km long was in 2011 cycle path between Althofen (municipality Grafstein ) and Saint Paul in the Lavant Valley opened. A total of 18 display boards provide information about tunnel and bridge construction, ecological compensation areas, geology and other aspects of railway construction. In addition, two “info boxes” in Kühnsdorf and Sankt Paul offer further information about the project in the form of an exhibition.

On the Styrian side, a similar bike information path leads from the GKB stop in Hollenegg over 24 km to Werndorf south of Graz. As in Carinthia, the cycle path leads along municipal and railroad roads along the individual construction sites. Points of particular interest are, for example, the Hengsberg tunnel , which has to be bypassed with an ascent of 60  m , or archaeological sites in the Laßnitz valley, which were uncovered in the course of the planning work for the Koralm construction. Another info box and a viewing platform have been set up near Leibenfeld (municipality of Deutschlandsberg ). The information paths are co-financed by the EU Connecting Europe Facility .

Benefit and economy

Proponents of the project refer to the following points in order to justify the construction of the Koralm Railway to critics:

• By closing the network gap between Graz and Klagenfurt, there is no longer a detour via Bruck an der Mur, which shortens the journey time from Graz to Klagenfurt from just under three hours to less than 60 minutes. The currently long travel time between the two state capitals, which are 100 km (as the crow flies) apart, is the reason that the rail share (modal split) is currently only around 1% in this relation.
• At the moment, trains from Vienna can only run to Klagenfurt or Graz. With the construction of the Koralm Railway, trains can run from Vienna to Klagenfurt via Graz. An alternative route for the Graz – Klagenfurt route via Marburg, as discussed many times in the past and examined in detail when selecting the route for the Koralm Railway, would mean a detour of around 60 kilometers. Depending on the investment volume, a journey time from Graz to Klagenfurt between 90 and 120 minutes could be achieved. Although this would improve the connection between these cities compared to the status quo, it would mean that trains on the Vienna – Villach route would continue to pass Graz over the Neumarkter Sattel.
• Furthermore, due to the tonnage restrictions and drawbar loads on the Semmering and Neumarkter Sattel, only low train weights can currently be carried on the Südbahn and Rudolfsbahn from Vienna to Villach , or heavy trains require special operational measures through the provision of pre-tensioning, pushing or intermediate locomotives. At Semmering, the loading size restrictions are another obstacle. After completion of the Koralm Railway and the Semmering Base Tunnel , heavy trains of up to 2,000 t can run with one locomotive - similar to the Western Railway .
• In the final stage - including the Semmering Base Tunnel - the journey times on the Vienna – Graz – Villach route are similar to those on the Western Railway from Vienna via Linz to Salzburg; The population distribution along these routes is also comparable. Therefore, proponents also expect a similar occupancy rate in passenger traffic.
• The corresponding shift in passenger and freight traffic to rail will result in a significant reduction in pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions as well as the number of accidents in the Vienna – Carinthia – Italy route.
• According to calculations by the Vienna University of Technology, the regional economic benefit amounts to EUR 167 million annually (price basis approx. 1995). This benefit, which is one of the most important reasons for the investment, results from the massive improvement in accessibility, i. H. the improved market access of the southern and south-eastern regions of the Austrian national territory. In particular, the Graz area (approx. 800,000 inhabitants) with Graz as the second largest city in Austria, suffers particularly due to its spatially isolated location in the southeastern "slipstream" of the Alps, especially in the ÖBB network. The Koralm Railway has resulted in a reorientation of the accessibility structures in the south and south-east of Austria: from Graz Italy can be reached by the most direct route via Carinthia, from Carinthia from Hungary via Graz and finally Graz becomes a TEN railway junction as a junction of the “Baltic-Adriatic Corridors ”and in the intersection with the Pyhrnachse Nürnberg / Prague – Linz – Graz – Maribor – Ljubljana / Zagreb. According to the above-mentioned study by the Institute for Urban and Regional Research at the Vienna University of Technology, the improved accessibility thanks to the Koralm railway alone could result in potential growth spurts of up to almost 3% in individual districts in the southeast. However, the benefits are not directly reflected in the operating income of ÖBB. In contrast, the Koralmbahn has a high economic profitability, which particularly justifies the financing of the investment from public funds.
• The benefit of the additional state income due to the economic recovery is around seven to eight times as large as the investment sum (calculations by the IHS ).
• Revitalization of the labor market during the construction phase (more than 100,000 employees) and in operation (around 40,000 employees), due to the economic stimulus of the Koralm Railway (according to the Institute for Higher Studies ).
• The economic benefit for ÖBB Infrastruktur AG is only given in the long term if it has received the increased infrastructure usage fee (IBE) from railway companies in accordance with the Rail Infrastructure Financing Act.
• As part of the “Baltic-Adriatic Axis”, the Koralm Railway with the Semmering Base Tunnel is an indispensable part of the European rail network. This was proven by a study by the Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz .
• In a report to the EU Commission in July 2006, the coordinator of Pan-European Transport Corridor  V, Loyola de Palacio , suggested in a report about the hesitant implementation of this corridor as "priority TEN project No. 6", a branching of this corridor via Villach-Klagenfurt –Graz to consider.
• Due to an Austrian initiative within the framework of the former Pan-European Corridor VI, the transport ministers (from north to south) of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Italy signed a “Letter of Intent” on October 12, 2006 to extend the “priorities” at the time TEN projects No. 23 and 26 ”on the“ Baltic-Adriatic Corridor ”in the Gdańsk – Warszawa – Katowice – Brno / Bratislava – Vienna – Graz – Klagenfurt – Villach – Venezia – Bologna route.
• On Austrian territory, in December 2013 with the "TEN-T Regulation" 1315/2013-EU (TEN-T = Trans-European Networks - Transport / Traffic) - in addition to the western line and the Brenner axis - the following rail lines were integrated into the newly created TEN- Core network, the network of the most strategically important transport links in the EU:
  • (Břeclav) - Vienna,
  • (Bratislava) –Marchegg – Vienna (for passenger traffic),
  • (Bratislava) Kittsee – Parndorf – Gramatneusiedl – Vienna / Wampersdorf (for goods traffic),
  • Vienna – Wampersdorf – Wiener Neustadt – Bruck an der Mur – Graz– (Koralmbahn) –Klagenfurt – Villach– (Tarvisio),
  • Graz – Spielfeld– (Maribor).

This route selection, like the entire TEN core network, resulted from the EU-wide application of a uniform planning method that was specially developed for this purpose and recognized by all EU member states, which is based on a mixed geographic-traffic planning approach.

• At the same time, the “Baltic-Adriatic Corridor” appears in Appendix I of the associated »CEF Regulation« 1316/2013-EU (CEF = Connecting Europe Facility for the financing and implementation of the TEN-T) -Korridor "): The" corridor trunk "has the course Gdańsk (Danzig) –Warszawa (Warsaw) –Katowice (Kattowitz) –Ostrava – Brno (Brno) –Břeclav – Vienna – Graz – Klagenfurt – Villach – Udine – Cervignano– Venezia (Venice) –Bologna – Ravenna. In addition, there are the “corridor branches” Stettin – Wrocław (Breslau) –Ostrava, Katowice – Žilina – Bratislava – Vienna / Wampersdorf and Graz – Spielfeld – Maribor (Marburg) –Ljubljana (Laibach) –Koper / Trieste – Cervignano, whereby “Korridorstamm” and "Branches" are strategically equivalent. The former German Transport Minister Kurt Bodewig is the European coordinator for the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor .

criticism

The construction of the Koralm Railway is very controversial. Critics point to the following points, among others:

• The traffic expert Hermann Knoflacher described the construction of the Koralm railway as a "wanton waste of money", since the construction work on Corridor V (section Budapest-Maribor-Ljubljana-Trieste-Venice) of the pan-European traffic corridors had already started. For the TU traffic expert Thomas Macoun, the routing is "nonsensical per se". He criticizes the previously assumed travel times of the Koralm Railway. Since significant passenger use of the route between Graz and Klagenfurt is unlikely, a direct connection between the two cities is of little importance in terms of traffic.
• The routing of long-distance trains from Vienna to Klagenfurt via Graz will lead to deterioration along the previous route via Leoben , Judenburg , Unzmarkt and St. Veit an der Glan if the long-distance trains, which previously stop every two hours in these places, do not have equivalent connections be replaced.
• Thanks to a wing train concept , trains from Vienna to Graz and from Klagenfurt to Bruck an der Mur can be run together even without the Koralmbahn.
• The Koralmbahn does not allow for the continuous guidance of heavy freight trains on the Baltic-Adriatic axis because the gradients between Villach and Udine are greater than those of the existing route over the Neumarkter Sattel. Since the route has already been extensively expanded on the Italian side ( Pontebbana ), no further changes are to be expected.
• Even without the Koralmbahn, no capacity problems are to be expected for the route from Bruck an der Mur to Klagenfurt.

Political Implications

Due to the refusal of the Lower Austrian provincial government around Governor Erwin Pröll to take over the Semmering base tunnel, the Koralm railway project was brought forward. For this purpose, funds, which had initially been intended for the southern railway line under the Semmering (Semmering base tunnel), were rededicated for the construction of the Koralm railway . The former Carinthian Governor Jörg Haider and the former Styrian Governor Waltraud Klasnic took the initiative.

The federal states of Carinthia and Styria have for the first time taken over part of the financing (140 million euros each) to accelerate the implementation of the project. With this civil law agreement between the Republic of Austria, the states of Carinthia and Styria and the Austrian Federal Railways, the realization of the Koralm Railway is laid down. The ÖBB and the federal government have undertaken to make the traffic effective by 2016 and to complete the Koralm Railway on two tracks by 2018.

The Koralmbahn was included in the general transport plan for Austria in 2002 and in full in the framework plan (investment plan for infrastructure projects) of the restructured ÖBB in 2004.

See also

• Steirische Verkehrsverbundgesellschaft: Leisure brochure no. 550-3, Along the Koralmbahn (PDF; 2.6 MB), author: Günter Auferbauer, summer 2008 (new edition planned for 2012).

Web links

Commons : Koralmbahn  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Koralmbahn print productions from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
• Project information from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
• Overview of the Koralm Railway and the EIA procedure (pdf; 3.99 MB)
• Critical consideration of the project of the Institute for Transport Planning and Technology of the Vienna University of Technology
• Regular reports on the construction of the Koralm Railway (private site)
• Critical article on the history and structure of the Koralm railway project

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Johannes Fleckl-Ernst: Geodetic challenges in the “Koralm Tunnel” project . In: Felsbau , Heft 5/2010, pp. 315–321, ISSN  1866-0134 .
2. ↑ Power for the Ostbahn, broadband for Styria on Industriemagazin.at from May 25, 2018, accessed on September 15, 2018
3. ^ ÖBB Infrastruktur AG: Information on the Koralm Railway
4. ^ The Koralpenbahn in: GKB-Zeitung, 1st year, Issue 16, Graz, February 22, 1930, pp. 241–243
5. ↑ Johann Pontasch: Koralpenbahn with twenty years late. In: Kleine Zeitung, Graz, February 21, 1990, p. 3.
6. ↑ Thomas Wieser: Carinthia is getting closer and closer in: Kleine Zeitung of March 20, 2009, p. 63
7. ↑ ^{a b} ÖBB Infrastruktur Bau: ÖBB: The next step to the Koralmbahn  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ), January 17, 2008, accessed on January 22, 2008
8. ↑ [1] /
9. ↑ Completion not until 2026
10. ^ Christian Oitzl: Koralmbahn current; in: GKB-Drehscheibe Heft 39  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ), Graz, August 2008, p. 12.
11. ↑ News on rail and road. Kleine Zeitung , April 26, 2010, archived from the original on October 21, 2014 . 
12. ↑ Closing the gap: start of construction for the last piece of the Koralmbahn puzzle between Graz and Weitendorf. In: presse.oebb.at. March 29, 2019, accessed April 3, 2019 . 
13. ↑ By Wilfried Rombold | 5.30 a.m., March 27, 2019: Despite the connection: Why the Koralmbahn won't stop at Graz Airport. March 27, 2019, accessed June 15, 2020 . 
14. ↑ Koralmbahn could stop at Graz Airport. Retrieved June 15, 2020 . 
15. ↑ Connection Koralm Railway - Styrian Eastern Railway. (PDF) (No longer available online.) ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG, June 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved July 4, 2008 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
16. ↑ Tunnel stop Hengsberg tunnel. (No longer available online.) ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG, June 27, 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved July 4, 2008 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  
17. ^ Exposé - new building - project West Styria station. In: oebb-immobilien.at. ÖBB Immobilien, p. 2 , accessed on March 15, 2018 . 
18. ↑ ÖBB / Ministry of Infrastructure: Construction of the new West Styria train station starts , ÖBB press release of September 1, 2017, accessed on February 5, 2018.
19. ^ Successful penetration of the Koralm tunnel. In: kaernten.orf.at. August 14, 2018, accessed November 1, 2018 . 
20. ↑ The Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the south tube was successful on SN on August 14, 2018, accessed on August 14, 2018.
21. ↑ Construction information Koralmbahn section Wettmannstätten - St. Andrä  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
22. ↑ Construction information Koralm Railway, section St. Andrä - Aich. ÖBB Infra, April 2015, accessed on March 23, 2018 . 
23. ^ Section Aich - Mittlern - Althofen / Drau ( Memento from June 13, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
24. ↑ ^{a b c d} Construction information Koralm Railway section Mittlern - Althofen / Drau. In: infrastructure.oebb.at. June 2017, accessed January 17, 2019 . 
25. ↑ Koralm Railway: "Floating" tunnel finished. In: kaernten.orf.at. April 26, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018 . 
26. ↑ Koralm Tunnel: Construction work is picking up speed orf.at, February 5, 2018, accessed March 23, 2018.
27. ↑ Opening of the Koralmbahn is delayed until 2026 orf.at, March 23, 2018, accessed March 23, 2018.
28. ↑ Power for the Ostbahn, broadband for Styria on Industriemagazin.at from May 25, 2018, accessed on September 15, 2018
29. ↑ The Koralm tunnel breakthrough in the south tube was successful on SN on August 14, 2018, accessed on August 14, 2018.
30. ↑ Althofen / Drau – Klagenfurt on infrastructure.oebb.at, accessed on January 17, 2019
31. ↑ ÖBB: Infobox Kühnsdorf and bike information path opened. Kleine Zeitung , July 13, 2011, accessed December 6, 2018 . 
32. ↑ ÖBB Infra (Ed.): Koralmbahn Graz – Klagenfurt: bike information path - section Althofen – Aich – St. Andrä. Vienna 2017. Online PDF , accessed December 6, 2018.
33. ^ ÖBB Infra (publisher): Koralmbahn Graz – Klagenfurt: bike information path - section Werndorf – Wettmannstätten – Deutschlandsberg. Vienna 2016. Online PDF , accessed on December 6, 2018.
34. ↑ ^{a b} Bernhard Jelinek: Spatial development and infrastructure - set of slides for the VO. (PDF) (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; Retrieved February 3, 2007 . 
35. ↑ Dieter Bökemann, Hans Kramar: impact of transport infrastructure on the regional location quality - study on the Austrian Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan; . Ed .: Federal Ministry for Science and Transport. Vienna 2000.
36. ↑ Inquiry response from the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology - 4345 / AB XXI.GP. (No longer available online.) Austrian Parliament , archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; Retrieved February 3, 2007 . 
37. ^ Rail Infrastructure Financing Act , Legal Information System of the Republic of Austria
38. ↑ Study "Carinthia and the Baltic-Adriatic traffic axis"  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )
39. ^ Report by the EU coordinator for Corridor V, Loyola de Palacio
40. ↑ EU: Regulation No. (EU) 1315/2013 . In: EU (Ed.): Official Journal of the European Union (legal provisions) . 56th year. Brussels 20th December 2013.
41. ^ European Commission: Commission Staff Working Document “the planning methodology for the trans-European transport network (TEN-T)” . In: European Commission (Ed.): Commission Staff Working Document . SWD (2013) 542 EC 2014 final, 2014.
42. ↑ EU: Regulation No. (EU) 1316/2013 . In: EU (Ed.): Official Journal of the European Union (legal provisions) . 56th year. Brussels 10th December 2013.
43. ^ ORF-Online, August 3, 2007: Koralmbahn: “Willing waste of money” , accessed on May 2, 2010
44. ↑ Der Standard : Koralm Railway “wanton money waste” , accessed on March 8, 2007
45. ^ ÖBB timetables 1991 to 2015
46. ↑ Expansion plan for federal transport infrastructure, p. 31
47. ↑ Der Standard : Koralmbahn: Contract forces the federal government to build , accessed on February 3, 2007