AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) have released plans for a new 21.3km-long high-speed line east of Salzburg to relieve congestion on the existing western section of the Vienna-Salzburg line, which will in future be assigned to suburban and regional passenger services.

The new line begins at Kasern near the junction of the Vienna-Salzburg and Salzburg-Villach lines, and continues via a 16.5km-long tunnel, with two single-track tubes in parallel, north of the existing alignment, before joining the old line near Köstendorf. ÖBB plans to start environmental assessment in autumn 2018 which should be concluded by the end of 2019. Detailed planning will follow and construction could start in 2026 with completion expected in 2026.

However, full financing for the project, estimated to cost €2.6bn, has not yet been secured as the line still needs to be added to the ÖBB infrastructure investment plan. The new line will be designed for 250km/h operation and should cut travel time for inter-city trains from Vienna to Salzburg by 5 minutes.