ASFINAG says Schönberg still needs a toll station

Austria’s motorway operator ASFINAG says the toll station at Schönberg is still needed because fully digital toll collection is not currently possible, ORF reported. The statement comes after NEOS proposed putting the motorway at Schönberg entirely underground, a plan supported by the Tyrolean government.

Tyrol’s transport councillor, Rene Zumtobel of the SPÖ, said the issue had not been settled for the longer term. He said the first step would be to expand digital toll collection and pursue a tunnel solution in the medium term.

According to Zumtobel, the ASFINAG board had indicated that it was moving in that direction. The motorway company would also contact Schönberg residents and the mayor directly to discuss the proposal, he said.

The Tyrolean People’s Party welcomed the NEOS initiative. Its parliamentary group leader in the Tyrolean state parliament, Sebastian Kolland, said a broader alliance against transit traffic would be beneficial.

The Fritz List has also previously called for a different solution for the Schönberg toll station to reduce the motorway’s impact on local residents.