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A turning point: Koralm line officially opened

The Koralm Railway is open: the assembled politicians directly in front of the first departure in Graz(Bild: Christian Jauschowetz)

Clear the way for a new era: after three decades of planning and construction work, trains are now running on the Koralm line, which connects Graz and Klagenfurt in just 41 minutes. On the inaugural journey, it even reached its destination in just 39 minutes! The "Krone" accompanies you live through this historic day.

It has happened: The Federal President, the head of government, provincial governors and mayors officially opened the Koralm Railway line on Friday morning. Alexander Van der Bellen has already christened the train. The first special train left Graz Central Station at 11 a.m. and arrived at Klagenfurt Central Station at 11.39 a.m.

Eröffnungsfeier

Der Koralmbahn-Zeitplan

• 10 Uhr: Festakt am Hauptbahnhof Graz beginnt
• 11 Uhr: Premieren-Zug mit Politik macht sich auf den Weg nach Klagenfurt
• 12 Uhr: Festakt in Klagenfurt
• 12.30: Programm startet auf Bühnen in Graz und Klagenfurt, dabei kommen Persönlichkeiten wie Franz Klammer, Thomas Stipsits, Gerda Rogers und Marcus Wadsak zu Wort
• Ab 14.30 Uhr: mehrere Sonderzüge für Bahnfans fahren auf der Strecke
• Ab 15 Uhr: vier Konzerte in jeder Stadt

Das Konzertprogramm zur Koralmbahn-Eröffnung(Bild: Krone KREATIV)

Nothing less than a new European metropolitan region is being created: The Koralm Railway connects Styria with Carinthia at an unprecedented speed. In future, it will take just 41 minutes to get from Graz to Klagenfurt. And this is being celebrated extensively today.

Bilder, Stimmen, Hintergründe

Der Eröffnungstag im Liveticker:

Thousands of train enthusiasts expected
Several free special trains will be running from 2.30 p.m. - the 5,500 tickets issued for the event sold out within a few hours. In the afternoon, four concerts are scheduled in Graz and Klagenfurt until the evening hours.

New timetables from Sunday
After the opening weekend, the Koralmbahn will start regular operations. But why does passenger service actually start on December 14? It's simple: on this day, timetables will be changed throughout Europe - the best opportunity to put the new line into operation. After all, it is the starting point for a veritable timetable revolution that will encompass large parts of Austria. ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä speaks of "epochal changes".

ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä(Bild: Eva Manhart)

ÖBB is expanding its long-distance services by 30 percent, according to its own information. The Graz - Klagenfurt route was previously only served directly by buses; in future there will be around 29 connections a day.

Significantly more connections
Graz - Vienna will be offered 33 times a day in future (instead of 18), Railjet Express trains with fewer intermediate stops will shorten the journey time by a few minutes. The route from Klagenfurt to Vienna no longer crosses Upper Styria ("old Südbahn"), but instead runs via the Koralm Railway ("new Südbahn"): There are 26 (instead of ten) connections per day, the travel time is reduced from three hours and 55 minutes to three hours and ten minutes.

The Koralm Railway will also be the fastest route between Salzburg and Graz in future. Between Villach and Salzburg, the new timetable offers an hourly service (20 direct connections).