ÖBB: Faster, more frequent, better! New timetable for new Koralmbahn railway presented

(Vienna, 16 September 2025) – On 14 December 2025, the new timetable will come into effect across Europe – marking a historic milestone: with the launch of the Koralmbahn, a completely new railway line will go into operation in Austria for the first time in decades. From December onwards, unprecedented and attractive travel opportunities will open up for Carinthia, Styria and far beyond. With the new Interregio service, ÖBB is ensuring impressive growth in long-distance transport and also offering its passengers new long-distance connections for main intra-Alpine routes away from the western and southern routes.

„The timetable change in December 2025 will mark the beginning of a new era in rail transport. Never before have there been so many connections to Carinthia and Styria. The Koralm Railway will bring regions closer together and connect Graz and Klagenfurt in just 41 minutes. This will make rail the fastest and also the most climate-friendly means of transport to the south – and make a key contribution to the mobility transition by offering more people an attractive, comfortable and sustainable alternative," emphasises Peter Hanke”, Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure..

"ÖBB is expanding its long-distance services throughout Austria by around 30 per cent, thereby taking a significant step towards strengthening climate-friendly mobility. We are increasing the number of services between Vienna and Klagenfurt from ten to 26 per day, and between Vienna and Graz we are offering our passengers services practically every half hour. We have the largest and best timetable – no one travels to the south as often as ÖBB," emphasises ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä.

Faster, more frequent, better on the new southern route
The train service is being massively expanded: half-hourly services between Vienna and Graz, resulting in 33 daily connections (instead of the previous 18), 29 connections per day from Graz to Klagenfurt (instead of the previous 8 by bus), and 26 connections from Vienna to Klagenfurt (instead of the previous 10). Faster direct connections to Italy – for example, with the RJX to Trieste and Venice – will make the international service more attractive. In addition, ÖBB is extending its AIRail service to Carinthia: seven direct trains will run to and from Vienna Airport when the new timetable comes into effect.

"The Koralmbahn not only offers more services, but also significantly shorter journey times. Our fastest trains, the RJX, will run from Graz to Klagenfurt in just 41 minutes. Passengers travelling to Italy and Slovenia will also reach their destinations faster thanks to the significantly shorter journey times. The railway now has a clear advantage over the car on the southern route," says ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä.

With the new timetable upgrade, passengers will benefit from significantly shorter journey times: Vienna – Klagenfurt will be 45 minutes faster (only 3 hours 10 minutes instead of 3 hours 55 minutes). Italy is also getting closer: destinations such as Venice (7 hours 10 minutes instead of 7 hours 40 minutes) and Trieste (6 hours 38 minutes instead of 9 hours 18 minutes) can also be reached much more quickly from Vienna.

A new chapter in intra-Alpine rail services
With the opening of the Koralmbahn line and the introduction of the new Interregio network, rail travel within the Alps is experiencing an enormous boost: from 14 December, Interregio (IR) trains will run every hour or two between Graz and Linz, Graz and Innsbruck, and Graz and Maribor. Most of the new lines will be served by 27 new barrier-free Interregio multiple units, which are equipped with a 1st class area and a snack zone with trolley service.

From the new timetable year onwards, passengers will also enjoy hourly services between Villach and Salzburg – supplemented by numerous direct connections that will bring Graz, Villach, Salzburg and Munich even closer together.

Further expansion in long-distance transport
ÖBB is also expanding its connections away from the southern route and strengthening its cross-border services. Passengers will benefit from additional connections to the Czech Republic, among other destinations: a new early train will depart from Vienna at 5:10 a.m. and travel directly to Prague, supplemented by an additional late connection from Prague at 7:36 p.m. arriving in Vienna at 11:49 p.m. ÖBB is also significantly expanding its services to Poland: with a new daytime connection, there are now four trains a day to Krakow. For the first time, ÖBB is also offering a direct connection to the Polish city of Poznan.