Coralmbahn production: A milestone for Frauental

Coralmbahn production: A milestone for Frauental

In Frauental, an important milestone was recently celebrated in the construction of the Koralm Railway. At the final meeting, which took place on November 28th, representatives of the Harterwald Gleinz Zeierling Süd, the market town and ÖBB came together to discuss the progress of the construction work and to announce the final end of the construction work. Mayor Bernd Hermann welcomed the chairman of the interest group, Andreas Vondrak, and the representatives of ÖBB.

In the course of the afternoon, in the presence of numerous media representatives and guests of honor, it was officially announced that the construction work has been completed at the end of this month. Like Dr. Schneider explained, however, some remaining work and evaluations of the collected measurement data still have to be carried out in order to guarantee a smooth rail operation and also speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour from December 2024. From April 2025, rail operations will be gradually recorded, and until December 14, 2025, the Koralmahn will finally be made accessible to the public.

important steps before driving

In order to ensure safe and effective operation, from July to September, over 800 drivers are required, which must be trained comprehensively in order to achieve the necessary local knowledge. A central aspect here are also evacuation exercises that are to be carried out together with the fire brigades from Styria and Carinthia in order to be well prepared in an emergency.

The role of the community of interests, which has been active for 25 years, is particularly noteworthy. It was founded by the concerns of the residents regarding noise emissions and air pollution. This initiative has reason to contribute constructive suggestions for construction planning based on environmental and noise reports. Thanks to the support from the Ms. Valley market town, these reports were financed and taken with a procedural lawyer.

The past 16 years have been shaped by challenges during this large construction site. In 2007, the market town, together with the interest group, decided to submit a complaint to the Administrative Court, since the demands of the Frauenaler had not been sufficiently taken into account. Ultimately, this complaint resulted in the ÖBB ready to take additional noise protection measures. These measures were finally implemented in a common agreement.

From the beginning of the construction work in autumn 2008, the interest group acted as a contact point for neighboring complaints caused by noise and dust. The ÖBB always professionally faced the challenges and granted transparency regarding emissions. Regular reports on the air quality and noise measurements were created and made available to the residents.

In recent times, an approximately 600 meter long noise protection wall has been built between the tunnel portal and Zeierlingerstrasse. This measure is intended to help residents to minimize the noise loads that could arise from rail operations. The height of this wall of up to nine meters is intended to significantly improve the noise protection measures. Mayor Hermann referred to the close cooperation between the various parties involved and emphasized how important it was to remain in contact in the future in order to be able to react quickly to possible questions or problems.

The upcoming end of the construction work and the start of the driving operate mark a new era for the Koralmbahn and the region, which would not have been possible in this form without the committed work of the interest group and those responsible on site. This progress is not only important for the EPP, but also for the public, which can look forward to much improved traffic connections. More information on this topic offers The report on www.meinbeinbezirk.at .