Western railway line Linz–St. Valentin remains restricted: ÖBB emergency service program in effect until Sunday

As part of the emergency program, ICE trains to and from Germany as well as night trains are running as scheduled. Railjet Express trains (RJX) can also run according to schedule. Intercity connections (IC) end in St. Valentin and at Linz main station respectively, so that passengers have to change there. Westbahn runs only once per hour on the line and makes an unscheduled stop in St. Valentin "so that ÖBB passengers can transfer to Westbahn".

Replacement service and buses

For local traffic, buses have been operating in rail replacement service between St. Valentin and Linz main station since Thursday evening. "Für die Nahverkehrszüge fahren bereits seit Donnerstagabend Schienenersatzverkehrsbusse zwischen St. Valentin und Linz Hbf. Diese Busse können selbstverständlich auch von Fahrgästen des Fernverkehrs genutzt werden," ÖBB announced. Freight traffic must wait or is being rerouted over a wide area.

Ticket regulations and mutual acceptance

To mitigate the impact on travellers, the two railway companies have agreed on mutual ticket acceptance: "Tickets der beiden Bahnunternehmen werden auf dieser Strecke wechselseitig anerkannt". In addition, the train-binding of tickets purchased up to 17 July has been lifted; these are now valid up to and including 21 July.

ÖBB recommend that travellers check current connections before starting their journey. Information is provided by the timetable information service SCOTTY, the website oebb.at, and the ÖBB customer service. Passengers should expect delays in particular when travelling via St. Valentin or Linz main station.

APA, 18.7.2026