A milestone for Austria’s transport network was reached on 5 November 2025 when Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) formally opened the 130 km Koralm Railway to commercial freight traffic. The €12 billion line, featuring the 33 km Koralm Tunnel, links the economic regions of Styria and Carinthia and forms part of the EU’s Baltic-Adriatic TEN-T corridor.
By eliminating the circuitous route over the Semmering and Neumarkt passes, the Koralm line reduces train-kilometres on the southern axis by roughly 300,000 per year and lowers gradients from 16‰ to 10‰. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group says each train can now haul an extra 250–280 tonnes, boosting capacity by up to 30 %. Early users include mineral-filler producer Omya, which projects a 12 % cut in logistics-related emissions.
![ÖBB opens Koralm Railway to freight—cutting Graz-Klagenfurt transit time and CO₂]()
Passenger services will follow with the timetable change on 14 December, slashing Graz-Klagenfurt journey times to 41 minutes—well under the three-hour threshold that triggers Austria’s aviation-to-rail substitution policy. Analysts therefore expect Austrian Airlines to expand its “AIRail” code-share offerings and possibly shelve short-haul flights between the two cities.
For global mobility teams the new line opens faster, greener options for relocating staff and equipment between Austria’s southern industrial clusters and key Adriatic ports. It also strengthens Vienna’s pitch as a logistics hub linking Central Europe to Northern Italy and the Balkans.
By eliminating the circuitous route over the Semmering and Neumarkt passes, the Koralm line reduces train-kilometres on the southern axis by roughly 300,000 per year and lowers gradients from 16‰ to 10‰. ÖBB Rail Cargo Group says each train can now haul an extra 250–280 tonnes, boosting capacity by up to 30 %. Early users include mineral-filler producer Omya, which projects a 12 % cut in logistics-related emissions.
Passenger services will follow with the timetable change on 14 December, slashing Graz-Klagenfurt journey times to 41 minutes—well under the three-hour threshold that triggers Austria’s aviation-to-rail substitution policy. Analysts therefore expect Austrian Airlines to expand its “AIRail” code-share offerings and possibly shelve short-haul flights between the two cities.
For global mobility teams the new line opens faster, greener options for relocating staff and equipment between Austria’s southern industrial clusters and key Adriatic ports. It also strengthens Vienna’s pitch as a logistics hub linking Central Europe to Northern Italy and the Balkans.
