ÖBB framework plan: Green light for 62.2 billion euros by 2030!

ÖBB framework plan: Green light for 62.2 billion euros by 2030!

On June 3, 2025, the budget committee with the votes of ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS gave the green light for the financing of the ÖBB framework plan for the years 2025 to 2030. This decision represents an essential budgetary substructure for the implementation of comprehensive infrastructure projects within the Austrian rail network. Transport Minister Peter Hanke described the decision as a significant step towards improving the rail network, which is intended to ensure an attractive, environmentally friendly mobility offer [OTS] (https://www.ots.at/presseausendung/ots_20250603_ots0166/budget committee-get-gluenes-glicht-die-Finanzierung-des-oeb frame plans-2025-bis-2030).

The total amount for the investments by 2030 amounts to up to 62.2 billion euros, although 19.7 billion euros are particularly estimated for the framework plan. On average, over 3.2 billion euros per year will be flowed into important infrastructure projects. This ensures the stability, quality and increase in capacity of the rail network. The security and punctuality standards for which the ÖBB are known should also be guaranteed, supplemented by measures for digitization and modernization of the railway operation, as [ÖBB infrastructure] (https://infrastructure.oebb.at/de/projekt-fuerreich/ Frame Plan).

long -term financial perspective

The financing is partly via grants from the federal government, which are distributed to 30 or 50 years for the Brenner Base Tunnel, one of the largest infrastructure projects. However, this procedure leads to preload in the federal budget until 2079. In the current report of the finance minister, the federal deficit was given by 12.4 billion euros by the end of April 2025, which corresponds to the level of the previous year. In addition, a Maastricht deficit of 4.5 percent and a debt rate of 84.7 percent of GDP is predicted for 2025, which inevitates the challenge of the budget consolidation, as parlament.gv.at.

For the years 2025 and 2026, significant payments in the federal government of 30.5 billion euros are planned for 2023. These numbers underpin the evidence of ongoing budget planning and show the need to correct the course for future investments and infrastructure projects. The framework plan is updated annually and is based on the financial requirements of budget consolidation and the continuation of the Plan 2024-2029 by the ÖBB-Infrastructure AG and the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK).

planned projects by 2030

The largest projects as part of the framework plan include the Brenner-Basist tunnel and the Semmering Base Tunnel, whose completions are expected in 2032 and 2030. In addition, numerous new construction projects and modernizations are planned in the years until 2030. These include:

• Liaison railway Vienna Hütteldorf - Vienna Meidling (2025)
• Viergleisiger expansion Vienna Meidling - Mödling (2026)
• Pielacht tunnel at Melk (2027)
• New building Neumarkt-Köstendorf-Salzburg (2029)
• Zweileisiger expansion Herzogenburg - St. Pölten Central Station (2030)