ÖBB Annual Report 2025

17 Step by step into the future 250 kilometers per hour. Never before have people traveled faster by land from Graz to Klagenfurt. Costs remained stable over three decades The staying power of the project teams is also record-breaking. Over three decades, the team has succeeded in responding flexibly to technological, political and social changes while still keeping an eye on the big picture. One person who was part of the project from start to finish is overall coordinator Klaus Schneider. He kept the once bold idea firmly on track. “Thousands of people have worked together on this for three decades. Most of the team members have been involved in the project for many years. A strong team spirit and the low fluctuation in the three project teams in Graz and Klagenfurt were decisive for the success,” explains Schneider. “Cost stability is another point that sets our project apart from other infrastructure projects of this size,” he adds. The cost estimate in the first Koralm Railway contract in 2004 was EUR 5.4 billion. On completion, the figure was EUR 5.9 billion – with the costs for the airport branch near Graz, which was not originally included in the calculations, amounting to EUR 500 million: budget bullseye! 74,000 annual jobs were created by the construction of the Koralm Railway starting in 1996. Sustainable construction A project of this dimension also offers extensive scope for research and testing. A wide variety of construction methods were tested in cooperation with technical universities. The construction work took advantage of environmentally friendly technologies, innovative logistics and resource- conserving measures. Excavated material was transported away on conveyor belts and reused, for example as aggregate for the tunnel lining concrete or for railroad embankments. Deliveries and removals were carried out by rail whenever possible to avoid truck journeys. The areas sealed by the construction were offset by ecological compensation areas. Getting the public on board The communication surrounding the project was equally thorough. “We really did everything we could to ensure the understanding and acceptance of local residents,” says Klaus Schneider. These measures included dedicated public forums, immersive experiences, exhibitions and the highly popular construction site tours. “There are hardly any residents who weren’t on site at least once during the construction phase,” he suspects. Linking Europe via the Koralm Railway The Koralm Railway should not be seen as an isolated national infrastructure project. It is part of the new Southern line, the most modern route in Austria. As a section of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor, it is also one of the most important infrastructure projects in Europe. This corridor connects important seaports in Northern and Southern Europe with the emerging industrial areas in Central Europe. It is considered one of the main arteries of our economy, strengthening economic flows between Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy and the Balkans. The next piece of this puzzle is already in planning: upgrading to a new double-track line between Frohnleiten and Graz should further reduce travel times in the long term and ensure sufficient capacity along the Southern line. In other words, it is one major project after another – and rail passengers can look forward to more “railroad history” being made in the future. < Chronology of a landmark project 1991: The Graz University of Technology conducts the “Southeast Link Study” a first study on the Vienna – Klagenfurt connection 2008: Official start of con­ struction of the main sections 2010: Start of the tunnelling work on the Koralm Tunnel 2020: Final breakthrough of the Koralm Tunnel 2023-2025: Test operation and test journeys December 14, 2025: Timetable change and start of regular passenger transport ST. PAUL STATION. Modern transportation hub between two tunnels MORE INFO in the Managemen t Repo rt on p ages MR9, MR21, MR24, M R91