ÖBB Annual Report 2025

Step by step into the future 14 LANDMARK PROJECT KORALM RAILWAY. After almost three decades of planning and con­ struction, the Koralm Railway has connected Graz and Klagenfurt since December 2025. Trains now run at high speed through the mountain to connect an emerging metropolitan region in the south of Austria that is growing just as fast and creating new markets. A construction time of 27 years, a service life of 200 years – and the potential to change the everyday lives of millions of people. Styrian and Carinthian regions that were previously outside key transportation connections are now growing together to form a new economic area with yet untapped potential. The connection to the Koralm Railway is already creating new markets and businesses. A business lunch at Lake Wörthersee and then back to the office in Graz? Commuting to the university city of Graz for your studies while living in the familiar surroundings of Klagenfurt? The Koralm Railway puts the two provincial capitals at a comfort- able distance for commuters: now sep- arated only by a relaxed 41-minute train ride. This will create a conurbation in the south of Austria, bringing an important section of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor right into the heart of Europe. Making railroad history The official opening of the Koralm Railway on December 12, 2025, at the main stations in Graz and Klagenfurt attracted thousands of onlookers and high-ranking representatives of national and international governments to witness a moment that ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä described as “railroad history” for good reason. Even with other major projects already in planning (more on this below), a new 130-kilometer railroad line linking two provincial capitals will not be built again any time soon. “This landmark project transforms distances into opportunities – for people, for the economy and for an entire region. The Koralm Railway marks the beginning of an era in which Austria’s south will grow closer together than ever before,” summarizes Andreas Matthä. New opportunities for living and working in the south This project is much more than just the construction or modernization of kilometers of railroads and tunnels as well as bridges and stations. The Koralm Railway is already considered a lifeline for the region, with a lasting impact on the lives of the 1.1 million people along the route. As part of a comprehensive location study, Eric Kirschner from Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft described it as The Koralm Railway will create a new economic region with yet untapped potential. NEW REGIONAL HUB. The newly built Weststeiermark station connects long-distance services with regional services in western Styria Ice cream at the clock t coffee by the lake