Westbahn registers several new routes with Schienencontrol

Beyond Austria's borders, Westbahn is also considering traffic toward Budapest Kelenföld. These plans likewise emerge from entries on the regulatory authority's homepage, as APA reports.

Current route and expansion plans at a glance

A Westbahn spokesperson confirmed to APA on Tuesday the goal of implementing the named connections. At the same time, he pointed to a well-known industry problem: "Thema ist stets auch die Verfügbarkeit von Zügen, mit der Bahnen europaweit kämpfen." This leaves open whether the timetable can actually be kept.

There is already a history to the Lienz route: company founder Hans Peter Haselsteiner had publicly announced this connection – traffic from Villach on through Upper Carinthia to Lienz – about a year ago, when he stated that his company was eager to operate on the new Koralmbahn line: "brenne". The current registration with Schienencontrol is the formal implementation of this earlier declaration of intent.

Timetable: Westbahn tempers expectations

Regarding the Saalfelden connection, the Westbahn spokesperson stated: "Von Wien West könnte es ab Mitte Dezember auch nach Saalfelden gehen." This would expand Westbahn's domestic Austrian network by a further western route and connect regions in Salzburg that have not previously been served directly by Westbahn trains.

Bottleneck in train availability

At the same time, the spokesperson tempered expectations of a rapid launch: "Er meinte aber auch, es sei offen bis derzeit nicht realistisch, dass der Plan bereits bis heurigem Dezember aufgehe." The exact commissioning of the new routes therefore remains to be seen, until, among other things, vehicle availability is secured.

Westbahn has for years been active as a private competitor to the Austrian Federal Railways on the western axis between Vienna and Salzburg. With an expansion toward the south and across the border into Hungary, the company would significantly extend its geographic reach – provided the necessary trains are available and the regulatory approvals take effect.