Citizens' initiative

Region continues to fight for Koralm railroad stop

The train station in Kühnsdorf was recently expanded and renovated.(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

Handover of the parliamentary citizens' initiative for the IC stop at Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See station to the National Council.

On Thursday, a parliamentary citizens' initiative for the establishment of an InterCity stop (IC) at Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See station was handed over to the outgoing President of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, at the parliament in Vienna. The aim of the initiative is to integrate the station into ÖBB's long-distance transport network in order to improve accessibility to the Lake Klopeiner See - South Carinthia - Lavanttal tourist region and strengthen regional development in the long term.

The initiative, which was personally delivered by a delegation from Carinthia, clearly exceeded the required threshold of 500 supporters with 5,319 signatures collected. The members of the delegation included Provincial Councillor Sebastian Schuschnig and Robert Karlhofer, Managing Director of the Klopeiner See - Südkärnten - Lavanttal tourism region, as well as several mayors and regional representatives.

The delegation handed over the citizens' initiative.(Bild: KSL Tourismusregion)

The delegation included Mayor Markus Lakounigg (Municipality of Völkermarkt), Mayor Thomas Krainz and Deputy Mayor Alois Lach (Municipality of St. Kanzian am Klopeiner See), Mayor Elisabeth Lobnik (Eisenkappel-Vellach), the Chairman of the St. Kanzian am Klopeiner See Tourism Association, Andreas Kristan, Manuela Schnitzler, District Office Manager of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce, and Peter Plaimer from Regional Development South Carinthia. Members of the National Council Peter Weidinger, Gabriel Obernosterer and Elisabeth Scheucher-Pichler also support the initiative.

The region hopes that the IC stop will provide a stronger connection to the national transport network, which would benefit tourism and economic development in particular.