Finally the green light: Westbahn route open to commuters again!

Finally the green light: Westbahn route open to commuters again!

After 23 days of intensive repair work, the Westbahn route will be reopened to regular traffic from Friday morning, June 5, 2025. State Transport Councilor Udo Landbauer described this as a positive signal for commuters in the region. The restoration of the important transport axis not only relieved commuters in the area, but also optimized the operations of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). According to the information from OTS From now on, top speeds of up to 230 km/h can be driven again, meaning the travel time between Vienna and St. Pölten drops back to 22 to 30 minutes.

The ÖBB and the NÖVOG (Lower Austrian Transport Organization) created special timetables for rail and rail replacement services during the closure period, most of which were implemented successfully. The regional buses were also adapted to the required construction timetables in order to ensure passenger mobility as well as possible.

Impact on local transport

Despite the impending restart, the situation in local transport west of Vienna remains tense. During the closure, the number of long-distance train connections was largely maintained, but the diversion of long-distance and freight traffic via alternative routes led to restrictions in local transport. Direct connections on the southern route from Graz Hbf to Schwechat Airport are temporarily not available weekend reported.

The ÖBB has responded to the changed situation and set up an extensive range of rail replacement services (SEV). In this context, passengers on lines S80 and S50 as well as REX50 can switch to the Wiener Linien subway and tram lines. These interim solutions were supported by a uniform color coding system for the SEV lines, so that the changeover runs as smoothly as possible for passengers.

Long-term goal: Germany-Takt

The rapid restoration of the Western Railway line is an important step as part of the expansion plans for the rail network in the “Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030”. This not only provides for shorter travel times, but also needs-based capacity for rail freight transport. The optimization of rail transport with a systematic timetable design that is based on the German rhythm is seen as a key measure. The Deutschland-Takt is intended to create nationwide coordinated connections and efficient freight transport routes in order to increase demand in passenger transport and optimize the efficiency of train use BMV.

Overall, the developments on the Westbahn route represent significant progress for the transport infrastructure and commuter representation. The work of the many workers, technicians and the project team involved is an important contribution to restoring and improving public transport in the region.