Rosenheim to Freilassing rail line faces 150-day closure

Train services between Rosenheim and Freilassing will stop for 150 days from February 7, 2027, as Deutsche Bahn carries out extensive renewal work, BR reports. Between Freilassing and Salzburg, trains will run only as a shuttle service.

The closure is expected to affect commuters and day visitors travelling to the Chiemgau, Salzburg and the Berchtesgaden region. Up to 15,000 passengers use the route each day.

Christian Tradler, who is responsible for the project, said Deutsche Bahn plans to carry out the work in one block rather than opening and closing separate construction sites. The line is ageing, and combining the work is intended to make the renewal more efficient and improve reliability in the long term.

Long-distance trains from Munich towards Salzburg will be diverted via Mühldorf, while services to Vienna will go via Passau. Regional passengers will be served by more than 70 replacement buses, with three service patterns ranging from express buses that stop only twice before Freilassing to slower buses that call at every stop.

Journeys to Freilassing could take up to 45 minutes longer, assuming traffic flows smoothly. Many of the buses will use the A8 motorway, where the motorway company says work is also planned next year, including repairs to the Saalach bridge near Piding and the carriageway between Neukirchen and Anger. Because of the motorway’s age, short-notice work to keep traffic moving may also be needed.

Markus Egger of the Bavarian Railway Company acknowledged that the A8 posed a risk to the replacement-bus plan, but said using rural roads throughout the closure was not an alternative.

Reactions in the affected region are mixed. Traunstein district administrator Andreas Danzer said the replacement service needed enough capacity to transport passengers promptly. Birgit Seeholzer, who handles economic development and tourism for the district, said clear communication was important and that information was needed now, not just a week before the changes.

Deutsche Bahn says it informed district administrators along the route in 2024, has set up an information website and has sent information letters to households and offices in the region. An information van is due to visit affected railway platforms from October 19 to 29, 2026.

The passenger association Pro Bahn fears that frustrated commuters may switch permanently to cars. Its national chairman, Lukas Iffländer, said avoiding that would require reliable timetable information, tickets and passes valid on diverted and replacement routes without extra charges, and bus services with enough capacity and suitable frequency.

Michael Wendl, chief executive of the Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden tourism association, said he had learned of the closure through the media. He accepted that the work was necessary but said the disruption extending into the peak season should have been avoided. Businesses that depend on rail to move goods also fear disadvantages from the closure.