Salzburg's turnaround: referendum to the billion -dollar solution

Salzburg's turnaround: referendum to the billion -dollar solution

In Salzburg, traffic problems have developed over the years into an increasingly pressing topic. Around 60,000 people commute back to the city every day and just as many, which is extremely stressful for the streets. If you also take leisure and tourism traffic into account, the situation becomes much more critical. Johannes Gfrerer, the managing director of the Salzburg Transport Association, describes the situation as alarming, especially for drivers who are often stuck in rush hour traffic.

This Sunday, the citizens of Salzburs have the opportunity to decide in a referendum on an important infrastructure project: the so-called "S-Link". Around 250,000 eligible voters, both from the city and the adjacent regions of Flachgau and Tennengau, are called to give up their vote. This billion -dollar project is aimed at solving the existing traffic problems and is described by its supporters as a "opportunity to century". An approximately 17 kilometer long, partly underground extension of the Salzburg local railway is planned, which is to lead from the main train station across the old town to Hallein.

The project and its opponents

The supporters emphasize that the expansion of the railway could contribute to relief. On the other hand, there are also numerous opponents who see a "billion dollar grave" in the project. The SPÖ in particular has critically commented on the advantages of the S-Link. The mayor of Salzburg, Bernhard Auinger, fears that the financial expenditure for the city could result in immense expenses. An unclear distribution of costs between the country and the city also ensures concerns.

The estimated costs for the S-Link amount up to 2.2 billion euros. Governor Wilfried Haslauer from the ÖVP emphasizes that there is an opportunity to get 50 percent of the costs financed by the federal government. This could play a crucial role in the vote. Of course, not everything is clearly regulated: there is currently only a route recommendation for the entire project, whereby only the underground section from the main train station to Mirabellplatz is actually planned and approved.

In addition to the S-Link, a more comprehensive “Salzburg mobility solution” is also coordinated, which, in addition to the S-Link, also includes two other route branches, for which there are no concrete planning so far. The results of this vote will be announced on Sunday evening and could have far -reaching effects on the future of traffic in Salzburg.