Oberwart - Friedberg

The dream of the train has not quite come to an end yet

The last train from Oberwart left in 2011 in protest.(Bild: Südburgenland Pro Bahn)

Passenger services from Oberwart were discontinued in 2011. More and more citizens now want the railroad line to be reactivated.

13 years ago - exactly since August 1, 2011 - the train in the district of Oberwart is history. The citizens' initiative "Südburgenland Pro Bahn" fought for a long time to preserve it. The closure of the railroad line for passenger traffic - freight traffic still exists - was justified by the results of frequency counts: These would have shown an average number of passengers in the single-digit or lower double-digit range on weekdays.

Unfortunately, due to the A2 in the Eastern Styria and Central Burgenland region, we have to admit our travel time deficit and are therefore not competitive with private motorized transport and buses.

ÖBB

ÖBB's decision has not changed to this day: Tests had shown that the passenger potential on the Friedberg - Oberwart route was expected to be so low, coupled with the high costs of reactivating passenger transport, that it would not be pursued any further. Furthermore, it is not competitive with private transport and the bus. In the 2000s, there were repeated efforts on the part of the state to expand the railroad line and even to resume the connection to Steinamanger in Hungary, which was discontinued in 1953.

A public participation campaign in Oberwart showed that the number of voices calling for the resumption of rail services is increasing again.(Bild: Stadtgemeinde Oberwart)

Many Oberwarters want the train back
A public participation campaign currently underway in the town of Oberwart is making rail enthusiasts sit up and take notice: the desire to reactivate the railroad line is being expressed remarkably often. It is repeatedly mentioned that not only the federal capital should be accessible by train, but also Hungary.

Cross-border initiative "Future by rail" back in play
The cross-border initiative "Future by Rail", which attracted attention in 2021 with a petition signed by more than 3,000 people in south-eastern Austria and western Hungary, is dedicated to precisely this issue.

If you want more people to switch to public transport, it makes a difference whether there is a bus and a train or just a bus.

Jutta Spitzmüller, Sprecherin der Initiative „Zukunft auf Schiene“

The issue of rail connections is of course more topical than ever in the midst of climate change, says Jutta Spitzmüller, spokesperson for the initiative. "We need a cross-regional mobility offer. Public transport, i.e. buses and trains, must complement each other," says Spitzmüller. The dream of the train has not yet been realized by everyone, the initiative announces new campaigns to bring the issue back into play politically.

Around 1,500 people commute to Vienna by bus every day
When it comes to public transport, a lot has happened in southern Burgenland, at least as far as buses are concerned. The Burgenland transport company points out that the 40 bus connections to Vienna are very popular, with around 1,500 passengers using them every day. The B9 connection is also popular as an attractive bus-train solution. It takes 1:05 hours by bus from Oberwart to Wiener Neustadt station. The train from Friedberg takes 1:03 hours to Wiener Neustadt.