Rail closures will lengthen journeys from Salzburg by up to two hours

Rail closures in Germany and Austria will mean longer journeys and replacement buses for passengers travelling from Salzburg from February, ORF reported. The closures will affect routes to the south and west.

From 8 February until early July, Deutsche Bahn will close the line between Freilassing and Rosenheim in Bavaria for renovation work. At the same time, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) will fully close the Tauern line between Schwarzach-St. Veit in Pongau and Mallnitz-Obervellach in Carinthia for the second phase of tunnel and track upgrades.

Passengers travelling from Salzburg towards Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Zurich will have either direct trains taking up to 120 minutes longer or journeys that include replacement buses. From Salzburg main station, buses will run every two hours. Travellers can also take a longer rail route via Zell am See.

ÖBB spokesperson Christoph Gasser-Mair said the railway had bought its own fleet of buses for replacement services. Train frequency between Vienna and Salzburg will remain unchanged, with double-decker trains also planned on the route.

Services to and from Germany are due to return to their regular schedules via Passau from 13 December. Railjet Xpress trains between Vienna and Munich will be rerouted via Passau.

ÖBB also announced an expanded long-distance service for the coming year. A new weekday early-morning train will leave Graz at 4.48am and arrive in Klagenfurt at 5.47am, with connections towards Villach and Salzburg. Ticket prices will rise by 3.5 per cent from 13 December. ÖBB expects local passenger numbers to remain stable despite the closures.