ÖBB Annual Report 2025

Step by step into the future 20 A fresh start: with the Koralm Railway and the new Interregio service entering into operation, a new timetable concept had to be developed for the Southern line – one that will serve all the regions for many years to come. The result: the timeta- ble change in December 2025 brought a 30 percent increase in long-distance services. One of the biggest improve- ments is the RJX connection Graz – Klagenfurt with a journey time of just 41 minutes. The travel time between Vienna and Klagenfurt has been reduced by 45 minutes. During the day, a direct train departs from Vienna to Graz every 30 minutes. But Italy is also getting clos- er: destinations such as Venice (7 hours 10 min. instead of 7 hours 40 min.) and Trieste (6 hours 38 min. instead of 9 hours 18 min.) can be reached much faster from Vienna. The planned opening of the Sem- mering Base Tunnel in December 2029 will enable even more connections and faster journeys along the Southern line. “With the extended long-distance service, we now offer the most extensive and best-coordinated timetable. Nobody travels to the south as often as ÖBB,” summarizes ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä. Fully integrated timetable This makes for a dense ÖBB network throughout Austria with connections that are well integrated into the overall timetable. The system is designed to provide a clear, reliable structure: trains run regularly at the same minute, con- nections interlock and journeys become easier to plan. For passengers, this means more convenient plan- ning and better transfer options throughout the network. With the opening of the Koralm Railway, the Southern line now joins the Western line in forming the backbone of a national and international long-dis- tance rail network. However, an efficient network needs more than just main axes – it also needs connections that service the regions in between. Enter the Interregio This is precisely where the modern Inter- regio concept comes in. The new route via the Koralm Railway will divert central long-distance traffic flows: regions south of Bruck an der Mur, for example around the Neumarkter Sattel, would be less directly connected without an additional service. The answer to this is the Interregio network for inner-Alpine rail traffic, a concept that took ten years to develop. The Interregio (IR) provides With the 2025 timetable change, ÖBB has increased long-distance services by 30 percent. NEW CONNECTIONS. Southbound travel has never been faster since the opening of the Koralm Railway. But the inner-Alpine regions now enjoy better service as well: the new Interregio concept links the major stations and ensures good connections to the Western and Southern lines. > Groundbreaking connections The five major IR lines Ennstal, Pyhrn, Aichfeld, Pinzgau and Mur-Drau not only connect the inner-Alpine region every one or two hours, they also ensure con­ nections to the Western and Southern lines. Seamless mobility – regiona national, international