ÖBB launches 65-million-euro redevelopment of Straßwalchen station

ÖBB, Salzburg province and the municipality of Straßwalchen have begun a 65-million-euro redevelopment of the station, ORF reported. The project includes a barrier-free station with an underpass and a new freight loading facility.

The new station, including car and bicycle parking and the accessible underpass, is scheduled to be built over the next two years. The underpass will eliminate the need for passengers to cross the Westbahn railway line to reach the other platform.

Construction will largely take place while trains continue to operate. ÖBB spokesperson Robert Mosser said the work would require close coordination between rail services and the construction site, with the aim of keeping operations stable while modernising the station step by step.

The project will provide new platforms, a passenger underpass and covered waiting areas. A new platform roof and the roof over 80 bicycle parking spaces will be fitted with glass photovoltaic roofs. Bus transfers will also be redesigned to better link rail travel with the rest of passengers’ journeys.

New loudspeakers and digital information displays will provide passengers with real-time updates. The existing Park and Ride facility will remain, with eight spaces near the entrance to the underpass prepared for future electric vehicle charging points. Parking spaces needed for new bus stops will be replaced with spaces near the former station building.

The new station in the municipality of about 8,000 people will also have its own freight loading facility. Mosser said dozens of wood-processing businesses in the region would benefit from it.

Straßwalchen hopes the rebuilt station, together with the already modernised rail junction in nearby Neumarkt am Wallersee, will encourage more people to travel by train instead of commuting by car.