Koralm Railway
Encyclopedia
The Koralm railway is a proposed 125 km long two track
, electrified
, high-speed railway link under construction connecting the Austria
n cities of Graz
and Klagenfurt
. Construction started in 2001, the whole link is expected to be operational by 2022.
freight transport but will also be used by passenger trains travelling at up to 250 km/h. The travel time from Klagenfurt to Graz will be reduced from three hours to one hour. Commissioning of the first new track section began in 2010 and construction is expected to be completed in 2022.
The centrepiece of the new railway is the 33 km Koralm Tunnel
under the Koralpe
mountains that give the railway its name. The project is currently the largest under way to expand the Austrian railway network with a budget of several billion Euros
, and will connect the federal state capitals of the adjacent states of Styria
and Carinthia
. The connection is currently made by a laborious three hour train journey via Bruck an der Mur
. In combination with the projected 27 km long Semmering base tunnel the Koralmbahn will remove bottlenecks in the Austrian freight and passenger railway infrastructure (namely the Semmering Pass and the Neumarkt Sattel
). Together with the already existing Italian
Pontebbana railway line between Tarvisio
and Udine
they will be part of what is referred to as Baltic-Adriatic Corridor - a traffic axis connecting the Polish
port city of Gdansk
and the Italian city of Bologna
.
the Koralmbahn coincides with the Southern railway line
(Südbahn) connecting Vienna
with Slovenia
. This stretch was upgraded in order to meet High-speed rail
and S-Bahn
standards. Specifically, level crossings were replaced by undercrossings and train stations were upgraded with some of them now serving as interchanges
to other transport modes. The urban tram
and bus
services of Graz were extended to provide direct links from the train stations Graz-Don Bosco and Graz-Puntigam
to the city centre. Graz Hauptbahnhof
is currently being upgraded to meet the expected increase in railway traffic following the opening of the Koralmbahn and the extension of the Südbahn between Graz and Slovenia from a single to a two track railway line.
Features:
(A2) the Koralmbahn branches off the existing Südbahn tracks. Immediately after the junction a 3 km long subsurface route will be erected which will also include a station serving Graz Airport
. Reemerging on the surface the tracks will then cross the Grazer Feld and subsequently follow the Pyhrn Autobahn (A9). South of the Container terminal Werndorf two junctions to the existing Southern Railway line will be built - the first to integrate the container terminal, the second (Weitendorf junction) will serve as a connection for local railway services. After undercrossing the Pyhrn Autobahn and going through the 1.7 km long Hengsberg Tunnel the Koralmbahn will arrive at Wettmannstätten. In December 2010 the 14 km long section from Weitendorf junction to Wettmannstätten was opened as a single track, non-electrified railway. It is integrated in the Styrian S-Bahn system as S6 . When the entire Koralmbahn becomes operational this stretch will be upgraded to two tracks and become electrified.
Features:
undercutting the Koralpe
, an up to 2000 m high mountain range separating Southern Styria and Eastern Carinthia. Before reaching the eastern portal of the tunnel the Koralm Railway crosses the Laßnitz valley on a 10 km open land stretch, incorporating the future structures of the train station Weststeiermark. The station will serve as the regional hub connecting existing local railway lines with the Intercity traffic running over the Koralm Railway. It will also harbour the security and maintenance installations of the Koralm tunnel.
The Koralm Tunnel itself will consist of two single track tubes with cross-passages every 500 m and an emergency station halfway its total length of 33 km. The construction of the tunnel is divided into three sections (from east to west): KAT1, KAT2 and KAT3.
Features:
Double track
A double track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single track railway where trains in both directions share the same track.- Overview :...
, electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
, high-speed railway link under construction connecting the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n cities of Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
and Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
. Construction started in 2001, the whole link is expected to be operational by 2022.
Overview
Construction work at the Koralmbahn began in 2001 and will be finished by 2022, parts of the railway line however have been or will be opened earlier to enhance the quality of local commuter rail services. The railway is primarily built for intermodalIntermodal freight transport
Intermodal freight transport involves the transportation of freight in an intermodal container or vehicle, using multiple modes of transportation , without any handling of the freight itself when changing modes. The method reduces cargo handling, and so improves security, reduces damages and...
freight transport but will also be used by passenger trains travelling at up to 250 km/h. The travel time from Klagenfurt to Graz will be reduced from three hours to one hour. Commissioning of the first new track section began in 2010 and construction is expected to be completed in 2022.
The centrepiece of the new railway is the 33 km Koralm Tunnel
Koralm Tunnel
The Koralm Tunnel is a railway tunnel under construction in Austria under the Koralpe mountain range. It will be 32,9 km long and up to 1.250 m deep and be a part of the 130 km Koralmbahn linking Graz with Klagenfurt. The tunnel will be composed by two single track tubes linked every 500...
under the Koralpe
Koralpe
The Koralpe, also referred to as Koralm, is a mountain range in southern Austria which separates eastern Carinthia from southern Styria. Running from north to south, it drains to the river Lavant in the west, and to the river Sulm in the east...
mountains that give the railway its name. The project is currently the largest under way to expand the Austrian railway network with a budget of several billion Euros
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
, and will connect the federal state capitals of the adjacent states of Styria
Styria (state)
Styria is a state or Bundesland, located in the southeast of Austria. In area it is the second largest of the nine Austrian federated states, covering 16,401 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. ...
and Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
. The connection is currently made by a laborious three hour train journey via Bruck an der Mur
Bruck an der Mur
Bruck an der Mur is a city of some 13,500 people located in the Austrian state of Styria. It is located at the confluence of the Mur and Mürz Rivers. Its manufactures include metal products and paper; Bruck is an important rail junction in the region located on the Graz to Vienna main...
. In combination with the projected 27 km long Semmering base tunnel the Koralmbahn will remove bottlenecks in the Austrian freight and passenger railway infrastructure (namely the Semmering Pass and the Neumarkt Sattel
Neumarkt in Steiermark
Neumarkt in Steiermark is a municipality in the district of Murau in Styria, Austria....
). Together with the already existing Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Pontebbana railway line between Tarvisio
Tarvisio
Tarvisio is a town in the Province of Udine, in the northeastern part of the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region in Italy...
and Udine
Udine
Udine is a city and comune in northeastern Italy, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps , less than 40 km from the Slovenian border. Its population was 99,439 in 2009, and that of its urban area was 175,000.- History :Udine is the historical...
they will be part of what is referred to as Baltic-Adriatic Corridor - a traffic axis connecting the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
port city of Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
and the Italian city of Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
.
Graz - Feldkirchen
Between Graz and FeldkirchenFeldkirchen bei Graz
Feldkirchen bei Graz is a municipality in the district of Graz-Umgebung in Styria, Austria. It is the site of the mass grave of prisoners interned, tortured and killed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the nearby concentration camp known as Talerhof, now the site of the Graz Airport....
the Koralmbahn coincides with the Southern railway line
Austrian Southern Railway
The Austrian Southern Railway was an Austrian railway company established in 1841...
(Südbahn) connecting Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
with Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. This stretch was upgraded in order to meet High-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
and S-Bahn
S-Bahn
S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...
standards. Specifically, level crossings were replaced by undercrossings and train stations were upgraded with some of them now serving as interchanges
Interchange station
An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system, and allows passengers to change from one route to another. Transfer may occur within the same mode, or between rail modes, or to buses...
to other transport modes. The urban tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
and bus
Public transport bus service
Bus services play a major role in the provision of public transport. These services can take many forms, varying in distance covered and types of vehicle used, and can operate with fixed or flexible routes and schedules...
services of Graz were extended to provide direct links from the train stations Graz-Don Bosco and Graz-Puntigam
Puntigam (Graz)
Puntigam is the 17th and newest city district of Graz, in the Austrian province of Styria. A big part of the industry of Graz is situated here.As of 2010 there are about 6,900 people living in an area of 6.18 km².-History:...
to the city centre. Graz Hauptbahnhof
Graz Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof at Graz, which is both the capital city of the federal state of Styria in Austria, and the second largest city in Austria.- External links :...
is currently being upgraded to meet the expected increase in railway traffic following the opening of the Koralmbahn and the extension of the Südbahn between Graz and Slovenia from a single to a two track railway line.
Features:
- Length: 7 km
- Gradient: max. 8‰
- Structures: Several undercrossings (10 new, 2 upgrade)
- Construction started: 2002
- Progress: Finished (2 tracks; 2005), prepared for a 4 track upgrade
Feldkirchen - Wettmannstätten
After crossing the Süd AutobahnSüd Autobahn
The Süd Autobahn is a motorway, or ‘Autobahn’, in Austria. It runs from Vienna south to the border of Italy, crossing the cities of Graz and Klagenfurt.-External links:...
(A2) the Koralmbahn branches off the existing Südbahn tracks. Immediately after the junction a 3 km long subsurface route will be erected which will also include a station serving Graz Airport
Graz Airport
Graz Airport , also known as Thalerhof, serves Graz, Austria. It is located in the municipalities of Feldkirchen and Kalsdorf, south of Graz city centre.-Transportation:...
. Reemerging on the surface the tracks will then cross the Grazer Feld and subsequently follow the Pyhrn Autobahn (A9). South of the Container terminal Werndorf two junctions to the existing Southern Railway line will be built - the first to integrate the container terminal, the second (Weitendorf junction) will serve as a connection for local railway services. After undercrossing the Pyhrn Autobahn and going through the 1.7 km long Hengsberg Tunnel the Koralmbahn will arrive at Wettmannstätten. In December 2010 the 14 km long section from Weitendorf junction to Wettmannstätten was opened as a single track, non-electrified railway. It is integrated in the Styrian S-Bahn system as S6 . When the entire Koralmbahn becomes operational this stretch will be upgraded to two tracks and become electrified.
Features:
- Length: 24.3 km
- Total length of subsurface sections: 5.8 km
- Gradient: max.10‰
- Structures: 2 subsurface routes, 1 tunnel, several bridges
- Construction started: 2007
- Progress: subsection Weitendorf junction-Wettmannstätten - Finished (1 track; 2010), prepared for a 2 track upgrade
Wettmannstätten - Sankt Andrä
This section includes the 33 km long Koralm TunnelKoralm Tunnel
The Koralm Tunnel is a railway tunnel under construction in Austria under the Koralpe mountain range. It will be 32,9 km long and up to 1.250 m deep and be a part of the 130 km Koralmbahn linking Graz with Klagenfurt. The tunnel will be composed by two single track tubes linked every 500...
undercutting the Koralpe
Koralpe
The Koralpe, also referred to as Koralm, is a mountain range in southern Austria which separates eastern Carinthia from southern Styria. Running from north to south, it drains to the river Lavant in the west, and to the river Sulm in the east...
, an up to 2000 m high mountain range separating Southern Styria and Eastern Carinthia. Before reaching the eastern portal of the tunnel the Koralm Railway crosses the Laßnitz valley on a 10 km open land stretch, incorporating the future structures of the train station Weststeiermark. The station will serve as the regional hub connecting existing local railway lines with the Intercity traffic running over the Koralm Railway. It will also harbour the security and maintenance installations of the Koralm tunnel.
The Koralm Tunnel itself will consist of two single track tubes with cross-passages every 500 m and an emergency station halfway its total length of 33 km. The construction of the tunnel is divided into three sections (from east to west): KAT1, KAT2 and KAT3.
Features:
- Length: 41.5 km
- Total length of subsurface sections: 32.9 km
- Structures: 23 bridges and undercrossings, 3 railway briges, 1 tunnel
- Construction started: 2008
- Progress: Construction of exploration tunnels started in 2003, works on section KAT1 began in 2008, on KAT2 in 2011