Cable fault disrupts rail services across Vorarlberg

A power failure caused widespread disruption to rail services in Vorarlberg’s Oberland region on Friday morning, with trains temporarily unable to run between Ludesch and Frastanz, ORF reported. A faulty cable in the general power grid triggered the outage, while a component also failed when Austrian Federal Railways switched to backup power.

Electricity supplies in Nenzing were interrupted at 4.44am. According to Johannes Hofer of Vorarlberg Netz, the cable fault caused the grid to shut down automatically for safety reasons. About 2,340 customers were affected. Power had been restored to 1,400 customers within 20 minutes, and all customers were supplied again by 5.30am.

The railway disruption continued after the power was restored. When ÖBB switched to its backup power supply, a component was damaged, causing the signalling system in Ludesch to fail. The component then had to be replaced.

No trains could initially run between Ludesch and Frastanz. The fault caused cancellations and, in some cases, significant delays during the morning rush hour. ÖBB spokesperson Christoph Gasser-Mair said it was unfortunate that the disruption coincided with the busiest travel period.

The effects were also felt in Vorarlberg’s Unterland region. Because of the interruption, some trains were not in the locations where they were scheduled to be needed. ÖBB adjusted train routes under its disruption procedures, leading to further cancellations and delays beyond the directly affected section.

ÖBB said the technical fault has now been resolved and rail services are largely running according to schedule. Some delays may continue as the network returns to normal and trains are repositioned. Vorarlberg Netz said there would be no further effects for electricity customers.