Finally green light: Westbahn route again for commuters!

Finally green light: Westbahn route again for commuters!

St. Pölten, Österreich - After 23 days of intensive repair measures, the Westbahn route will be released for regular traffic from Friday Friday, June 5, 2025. State Councilor Udo Landbauer described this as a positive signal for commuters in the region. The restoration of the important traffic axis not only relieved the commuters in the area, but also optimized the operating process of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). According to the information from OTS can now be driven again of up to 230 km/h Between Vienna and St. Pölten, again sinking to 22 to 30 minutes.

The ÖBB and the NÖVOG (Lower Austrian Transport Organization) created special timetables for rail and rail replacement during the blocking period, which were largely implemented successfully. The regional buses were additionally adapted to the required construction site timetables to ensure the mobility of passengers as well as possible.

effects on local transport

Despite the upcoming restart, the situation in local transport west of Vienna remains tense. During the lock, the number of train connections in long-distance transport was largely maintained, but the detour of remote and freight traffic via alternative routes led to local transport. Direct connections on the southern route from Graz Hbf to Schwechat Airport are temporarily not available, such as Weekend reported.

The ÖBB responded to the changed situation and set up an extensive range of rail replacement traffic (SEV). In this context, passengers of the lines S80 and S50 and REX50 can switch to the subway and tram lines of the Vienna lines. These transitional solutions were supported by a uniform color pattern system for the SEV lines, so that the changeover for the passengers is as smooth as possible.

long-term goal: Germany-clock

The rapid restoration of the Westbahn 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 a needs -based capacity for rail freight transport. The optimization of rail traffic with a systematic timetable design that is oriented towards Germany is considered a key measure. The Germany clock is intended to create coordinated connections and powerful freight traffic routes in order to increase demand in passenger transport and to optimize efficiency in train use, according to BMV .

Overall, the developments on the Westbahn line represent a significant progress for the transport infrastructure and the commuter representation. The work of the many involved workers, technicians and the project team are an important contribution to the restoration and improvement of public transport in the region