Rail operators plan faster links to Graz Airport from Carinthia

ÖBB will introduce an Interregio service at the start and end of the day from Dec. 13, while Westbahn sees potential for a direct rail link to Graz Airport, ORF reports.

Westbahn said trains from Carinthia could leave the Koralmbahn shortly before Graz and switch to the old Southern Railway line to serve the airport. Managing director Thomas Posch said a direct connection would benefit passengers and the wider region.

Westbahn said it had asked ÖBB Infrastruktur about the proposal a year ago. The infrastructure company rejected the connection at Werndorf, citing a lack of capacity and an already dense timetable on the line.

Carinthia’s mobility councillor, Sebastian Schuschnig of the ÖVP, said connections from Klagenfurt to Graz Airport were a matter for his counterparts in Styria. He said he wanted to strengthen Klagenfurt Airport, which would require better public transport links to the Carinthian airport.