Important tunnel renovation: Mooving to Italy exposed to Italy from November

Important tunnel renovation: Mooving to Italy exposed to Italy from November

The trip from Munich to Italy will be significantly impaired in the coming months, since several train connections have to be suspended in Austria due to necessary renovation work on the Tauern tunnel in Austria. These measures, which are scheduled for around eight months, particularly affect the popular night trains, known as "Nightjet", which generally offer an attractive way to get from Germany to the sunny regions of Italy.

The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) announced that the trains will not drive from November 18 to July 13, 2025. This lock affects trains that commute from Stuttgart and Munich to Venice, Rome, Milan and Genoa. Travelers who want to travel to Italy during the upcoming holidays and vacation times have to look for alternative transport options.

renovation work on the Tauern tunnel

The Tauern tunnel, an important thoroughfare under the Alps, has not been extensively renovated since the opening in 1909. The last major overhaul took place in 2004. The current renovation work aims to improve the safety and performance of the tunnel. This includes the renewal of the tunnel vault, the intercept of seepage water as well as the modernization of signaling technology and tunnel radio.

The ÖBB have emphasized that they will try to keep the effects for travelers as low as possible. There is currently no replacement for the night trains that do not run during the work, and travelers have to prepare for longer travel times and umbrella. The railjets that connect Munich with Klagenfurt are also affected and are temporarily replaced by buses.

effects on travelers and commuters

For many commuters on site, which rely on rail traffic, this situation represents a test of patience. In order to counteract the limited train connection, a bus shuttle between the stations concerned is set up. Cyclists who use the Alpe-Adria cycle path can also no longer fall back on the trains through the Tauern tunnel and have to use a special wheel shuttle from April 11, 2025.

The lock of the Tauern tunnel also has an impact on car loading in Böckstein. This causes an additional burden for drivers who have to switch to other streets that are already burdened by construction sites and other restrictions on the traffic situation. The Großglockner-Hochalpenstraße remains closed during the winter season, which continues to complicate the situation.

The tourism industry will also be affected by these developments. However, the winter sports locations in the Gastein Valley can still be reached from Germany, and there are considerations to transform other night trains such as the Euronight to Zagreb. In the next few weeks, the Austrian railway will decide how the trains to Rijeka, who are traveling from May to September, will continue.

Travelers should find out more about the changes and, if necessary, adapt their plans. Current information about the timetables can be accessed directly on the ÖBB website. Even during the recent renovation work of the Deutsche Bahn between Salzburg and Rosenheim, trains had to be, which offers a foretaste of the upcoming challenges.