ÖBB Annual Report 2025

15 Step by step into the future “the largest socio-economic project in Austria since the construction of the Semmering Railway,” and he is convinced that the region will see improvements in quality of life and a more dynamic labor market. In particular, he sees the Lavant Valley and Deutschlandsberg as the big winners. Even if it is still too early to detail and precisely quantify future developments, one thing is clear: new opportunities are emerging that could be real game changers. Weststeiermark and St. Paul im Lavanttal portal stations It is plain to see that the regions around the two newly built Weststeiermark and St. Paul im Lavanttal portal stations are already undergoing significant changes. The construction of the Weststeiermark station on a greenfield site was not without controversy. Deutschlandsberg is situated five kilometers from the Groß Sankt Florian train station. That the de- cision was the right one is evidenced by the high utilization of the 450 park and ride spaces, and an expansion of the lot is even under consideration. In addition, many companies have already estab- lished a presence in the industrial and commercial zone opposite the station. The station is heated and cooled using geothermal energy by means of tunnel water from the Koralpe. The St. Paul im Lavanttal station is nestled between the Koralm and Granitz- tal tunnels. Constructing a modern, barrier-free transportation hub in this limited space was a logistical challenge. > wer,