The majority-private Westbahn, owned by industrialist Hans Peter Haselsteiner, will extend its services to the Southern Railway, thanks to the Koralmtunnel between Styria and Carinthia. Starting March 1, 2026, there will be five daily trains from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Villach, passing through Graz and Klagenfurt. The trip will take 3 hours and 28 minutes, with stops in Vienna Meidling, Wiener Neustadt, Semmering, and Bruck an der Mur, among others. Additional stops are under consideration, and the route may eventually be extended westward.
At a press conference, Westbahn’s CEO Thomas Posch took a slight jab at ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) regarding long-standing issues with train traffic in Styria to Carinthia, saying that Westbahn aims to provide reliable services with no quality deficits.
For the new Southern Railway services, Westbahn will introduce high-speed trains capable of reaching speeds of up to 250 kilometers per hour, making them the fastest in Austria. The trains will have 11 carriages and 422 seats, with barrier-free access through two level entrances. Double-decker trains are expected once the Semmering Tunnel is completed in 2030.
Haselsteiner has also not ruled out extending the Southern Railway line further, possibly to Lienz in East Tyrol, and expressed optimism about the future prospects of Westbahn, which has been profitable for two years.
The new service has been positively received by local politicians in Carinthia and Styria, with hopes that competition from Westbahn will improve services for passengers and create more mobility opportunities in the region.
