Noise protection missing

Uproar over tree clearing along the railroad tracks

This "search image" shows more than five trees less (than the one below). There are only a few days between the photos.(Bild: Honorar)

Residents of Payerbach in the district of Neunkirchen are outraged by the clear-cutting along the Semmering Railway. ÖBB, however, argues with the Railway Act.  

We are constantly demanding measures for environmental protection and then hundreds of healthy trees are simply cut down," say residents from Payerbach in the district of Neunkirchen, expressing their incomprehension at the clear-cutting along the Semmering Railway. As comparative photos show, the track is now visible where large green giants previously stood.

This "search image" is distinguished by more than five trees.(Bild: Honorar)

"This also means we lose a natural noise barrier," they complain. The local residents are therefore asking ÖBB and the Ministry of the Environment why people should switch to the "green" railroad for climate protection reasons, when the railroad itself is massively damaging the climate by interfering with nature in this way.

According to ÖBB, however, the clearing is a matter of measures agreed with the district forester from Payerbach-Reichenau station to Klamm-Schottwien station. The basis for this is the Railway Act, which is not only intended to protect the tracks from falling branches, but also to prevent the ingrowth of roots.

Clearing for the sake of safety
Seven meters around the track axis must be free of vegetation and a further 40 meters free of trees. "For economic reasons alone, we only remove trees when necessary," says an ÖBB spokesperson.