Koralm Railway

The Koralm Railway is a new high-speed line in southern Austria. It runs for 127 kilometres between Graz in Styria and Klagenfurt in Carinthia. The line is fully double-track and electrified, allowing passenger trains to travel at up to 250 kilometres per hour. Its centrepiece is the 33-kilometre Koralm Tunnel beneath the Koralpe mountains. The project cost several billion euros and took decades to build, with construction starting in 1999. It connects two state capitals and forms part of the Baltic–Adriatic Corridor linking Gdańsk in Poland to Bologna in Italy. The railway shortens the journey between Graz and Klagenfurt from three hours to just 41 minutes. It also cuts travel times from Vienna to both cities, making connections faster and more frequent. Freight trains share the line, easing bottlenecks on older routes like the Semmering Pass. Local stations such as Weststeiermark and Lavanttal will link regional services with long-distance trains. The line replaces slower routes that once forced trains to backtrack or take indirect paths through Slovenia. Travellers will find modern stations with lifts, underpasses and direct links to trams and buses. The route crosses wide plains, follows motorways and passes through short tunnels before diving into the long Koralm Tunnel. On the surface, bridges span valleys and rivers, while subsurface sections reduce noise and protect the landscape. The Lavanttal valley is crossed on an elevated structure before trains enter a chain of tunnels. The result is a smooth, fast connection through some of Austria’s most scenic countryside.