Freight traffic on the western route is strictly prohibited

The new westbound line between Vienna and St Bolton has been closed since the floods. The old western route through the Vienna Woods is currently only single-tracked – the new western route will be closed for several more months (noe.ORF.at; September 23, 2024). The ban also affects freight traffic. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group trains can currently only run between 11am and 5am as the track is needed for passenger traffic during the day.

Therefore, only 20 percent of the ÖBB train freight fleet can currently run regular trains on the western line, ÖBB told noe.ORF.at. Where possible, efforts are currently being made to divert trains via Semmering or Bihern.

international problem

Apart from Austria, railway lines in many European countries are currently closed. The storm damaged rail links in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary and Italy. According to ÖBB, this is particularly challenging because 80 percent of the rail cargo group’s trains travel internationally.

Hundreds of freight trains have been stopped especially at the borders. According to ÖBB, it will take some time until the backlog is reduced.

Schedule should be updated

The damage to the western line affects timetables across Austria, ÖBB boss Andreas Matta told the “Ö1-Mittagsjournal” on Wednesday, “because trains are scheduled in a round and travel on different routes. It doesn’t work that way anymore. Therefore, we have to completely redesign the scheme so that our customers get the correct information on all routes,” said the new timetable, which will come into effect from October 10.

Major damage could lead to the postponement of smaller construction projects, but it’s “a little too early” for details, Matthe said, “because we’re still assessing the damage and figuring out which lines we need to renovate.” The schedule for construction projects should not change.