Koralmbahn cuts A2 car traffic by 4.6 percent

Car traffic on Austria’s A2 motorway fell by 4.6 percent in the Koralmbahn corridor during the first half of 2026 after the railway line opened, ORF reported, citing Asfinag data analysed by the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ).

The decline was significantly greater than the nationwide reduction of 0.6 percent. VCÖ expert Klara Maria Schenk said the Koralmbahn had shifted car journeys to rail, similar to the Westbahn railway line after its expansion in 2012.

Higher fuel prices linked to the Iran war also contributed to the overall decline in car traffic, according to the VCÖ analysis. Passenger-car traffic fell at 61 percent of counting stations compared with the first half of 2025, while lorry traffic increased at 81 percent of stations.

Car traffic declined by 3.6 percent on the Styrian section of the corridor and by 6.3 percent on the Carinthian section. Compared with the Austrian motorway network as a whole, these represented declines six and ten times larger, respectively.

The VCÖ said the railway’s positive effects could be strengthened through further measures. Companies could create new incentives for commuters, while tourism regions could introduce measures targeting leisure travel.

Despite the development, the VCÖ said Austria was not yet making sufficient use of the potential to improve transport efficiency. According to the Environment Agency Austria, cars carry an average of only 1.14 people. On average, 88 cars are therefore needed to transport 100 people.

Vienna’s Südosttangente was the busiest motorway section in the first half of the year, with 34.6 million vehicles, 95 percent of them passenger cars.