After a three-month interruption due to the century flood in the Tullnerfeld region, the “new” Western Railway line in Lower Austria will come back. Starting Sunday, Railjets will operate again at speeds of up to 230 km/h, including passing through the Atzenbrugg tunnel. The much-anticipated “Christmas miracle” will become a reality, as emphasized by the ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) on Friday. Media representatives had the opportunity to experience the service firsthand with the so-called Railchecker train.
Transport Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) expressed her “great joy” in standing in Tullnerfeld, “the main artery of Austrian rail transport.” The interruption due to the flood was described as a “collapse.” After weeks of hard work, the “rapid connection” is now available again, and special thanks were given to the employees of ÖBB for their efforts.
The day was described as “more than happy, especially for thousands of commuters,” by Lower Austria’s Deputy Governor and Transport Minister Udo Landbauer (FPÖ). “We have experienced how difficult it is to replace the train service,” he added. The ÖBB team had achieved the “unimaginable” in the past weeks.
Commuters in the region can now breathe a sigh of relief, as “the operation on the backbone of public transport in Lower Austria has been successfully restored for now,” said Member of the Provincial Parliament Florian Krumböck, representing Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner (ÖVP). “It’s great that from December 15, normal operations on the Western line are back in place. This is a crucial message just before the busy Christmas travel season,” Mikl-Leitner said in a statement. She reflected on “many weeks of exceptional circumstances.”
The region of Tullnerfeld was hit hard on Friday the 13th, as ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä recalled. This not only affected ÖBB but also thousands of households and businesses that lost their belongings due to the flood. The now “fortunate” Friday the 13th was a “lucky day,” as it marked the announcement of the reopening of the Western line. Matthä also extended his thanks to the passengers for their patience.
The repairs to the infrastructure following the flood are expected to cost around 100 million euros, in line with previous estimates. A detailed account will be provided after all work is completed in the summer of 2025.
The “Christmas miracle” was made possible in part by emptying spare parts warehouses across Austria, according to the ÖBB. As not all necessary parts were available, some provisional solutions were implemented while maintaining safety standards. Therefore, as previously announced, the “new” Western line will be closed again next year for about four weeks. From May 12 to June 5, long-distance trains will be rerouted through the Wienerwald via the “old” connection, which will add about 30 minutes to the travel time.
During the repairs after the century flood, ÖBB CEO Matthä explained that not only was water pumped out and mud removed, but also 16 kilometers of cables for power supply and 1.4 kilometers of high-voltage lines (10 kV) were replaced. Additionally, 60 kilometers of fiber-optic cables were installed, and various components of switches, as well as safety systems, fire alarm systems, and emergency call pillars, were repaired or replaced.
The Atzenbrugg tunnel, severely impacted by the flood, was particularly affected, with dam breaches on the Perschling contributing to the damage. The mobile phone network in this 2.5-kilometer section of the “new” Western line has also been restored.
The first trains to travel through the Tullnerfeld on Sunday will be Westbahn WB 998, departing at 00:08 from Vienna Westbahnhof, and Railjet RJ 820 from the ÖBB, departing at 00:28 from Vienna Hauptbahnhof. Nine days before Christmas, the timetable change will also take effect. Direct service to Vienna Airport in Schwechat will also be resumed. In recent weeks, a shuttle service was provided every 30 minutes from Vienna Hauptbahnhof.
