Tyrol railway adds underground passing station for more reliable trains

The new Lower Inn Valley railway in Tyrol is being upgraded to allow more trains to use the high-speed line, ORF reports. The centrepiece is an underground passing station in the Terfen tunnel, where fast trains will be able to overtake slower or delayed services.

Switches, tracks and other technical equipment are now being installed. Freight trains travelling at up to 100 kilometres per hour will be able to move aside, allowing passenger trains travelling at up to 220 kilometres per hour to pass. Passengers are unlikely to notice much during the journey apart from arriving more punctually, ÖBB spokesman Christoph Gasser-Mair said.

The 15.8-kilometre Terfen tunnel was built with a wider section and two additional tracks for the passing station. Train traffic was comparatively light at the time, but the route will face significantly higher demand once the Brenner Base Tunnel enters service, ÖBB project manager Norman Schubert said. The current summer works are intended to prepare for that increase.

The railway line is also using ETCS, a standardised European digital train-protection system, to increase capacity. There are no conventional signals alongside the track. ETCS is also intended to make cross-border train journeys easier by applying the same technical standards across countries.

The upgrade is scheduled to be completed by the start of the school year on September 14, when the entire route is due to reopen. Until then, trains will run above ground on the old route. ÖBB and the Brenner Base Tunnel company are investing 25 million euros in the passing station and technical upgrades to the tunnel route, which will serve as the northern approach to the Brenner Base Tunnel.