Revolution in rail traffic: Koralmahn starts in 186 days!

Revolution in rail traffic: Koralmahn starts in 186 days!

The Koralmahn, the largest project to expand the Austrian rail network, is faced with completion. On December 14, 2025, the new connection between Graz and Klagenfurt will be put into operation. The completion of the over 130 kilometers of route, which comes up with over 100 bridges and around 50 tunnel kilometers, is now imminent. This innovation shortens the travel time between the two state capitals to an impressive 45 minutes, such as [meinbezirk.at] (https://www.meinbeirzirk.at/deutschlandsberg/c-wirtschaft/noch-186-tage-bis-zur- Intonschaftung_a7350704) reports.

The focus of the project is the Koralmunnel, with a length of 32.9 kilometers the longest railway tunnel in Austria and the sixth longest worldwide. Test drives with speeds of up to 250 km/h are already underway. In addition, on June 13, 2025, an open day will take place in Groß St. Florian, in which interested exclusive insights into the project can receive. An exciting program is offered from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

history and development

The way to the Koralbahn draws a long history. The construction of the direct rail connection via the Koralpe has been requested since the First World War, but it was only in 2009, on March 20, the groundbreaking for the Koralm tunnel took place. The entire construction period of the Koralbahn extends over an impressive 27 years, with the first section being put into operation in 2007. The estimated costs of the project rose to around 5.4 billion euros, but the economic advantages are promising - a regional economy benefit of around 167 million euros is expected every year, as lovntol.at.

The Koralbahn is one of the most important rail projects in Europe and is part of the international rail transport corridor of the Baltic-Adriatic axis. This will help increase the transport capacity for heavy trains and at the same time to significantly shorten the travel time between Vienna and Klagenfurt via Graz.

technical challenges

The completion of the Koralmt tunnel was not without challenges. Delays due to weather conditions or geological difficulties could never be completely excluded. But thanks to extensive planning and strong cooperation with local companies, over 75% of the orders, the project has made great progress. The tunnel itself was successfully manufactured with a world record of 17,145 meters throughout.

In order to minimize the environmental impact of construction, more than four million cubic meters of material were reused from the Koralmt tunnel. In addition, ecological compensation areas and plantings are planned to promote nature, which not only makes the Koralm Railway a traffic project, but also a sustainable project.

Overall, the Koralbahn will not only dramatically improve the transport connections between Graz and Klagenfurt, but will also create numerous new employment opportunities. According to estimates, over 100,000 employees and around 40,000 people will find jobs during the construction phase.

summarized it shows that the Koralmsche is an important step for the future of Austrian rail traffic. The population can look forward to the opening ceremony and the associated new freedom of travel, while at the open day the first doors will open to the new era at the open day.