ÖBB plans expansion as Tauern car shuttle hits capacity limits

The ÖBB Tauernschleuse car shuttle between Böckstein in Bad Gastein, Salzburg, and Mallnitz in Carinthia is reaching its capacity limits on return-travel days, ORF reported on Saturday. About 55 cars are carried on each trip, while around 100 cyclists use the service daily.

The service, promoted by ÖBB as a traffic-free alternative to the Tauern motorway, has itself faced bottlenecks as demand has risen. Last Saturday, four of 36 scheduled trips were cancelled because staff could no longer process cars and bicycles within the hourly timetable.

More than 30,000 people use the Tauernschleuse each year to transport their bicycles. Many are travelling along the Ciclovia Alpe Adria cycle route, also known as the Tauern cycle route, from Salzburg towards Grado in Italy. The growing number of e-bikes has contributed to the increase, with more than 100 people sometimes using the shuttle on a single train.

ÖBB plans to modernise the trains next winter to create more space for bicycles and cars. The second stage of the tunnel renovation, scheduled from February to July, will also be used to completely modernise the shuttle service.

The plans include a digital pre-processing system with number-plate recognition, similar to systems used at motorway toll stations, as well as new double-decker trains. ÖBB expects the changes to ease congestion by next summer’s return-travel days.