A historic moment in Austrian transport: the railway project of the century has been handed over

Southern Austria is on the cusp of a new era. After many years of planning, construction and dedicated work, the railway project of the century, the Koralmbahn, finally opened on 12 December 2025.

Last summer, we wrote about the gigantic investment project: the 130-kilometre-long Koralmbahn connects the capitals of the federal states of Styria and Carinthia. rel="noopener">we wrote about the mega-investment: the 130-kilometre-long Koralmbahn connects the capitals of the federal provinces of Styria and Carinthia. The journey time between the main stations in Graz and Klagenfurt will be reduced from the previous 3 hours to 41 minutes.

The railway line is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (Baltic-Adriatic Corridor), and its construction was one of Europe's most important infrastructure investments. The line runs through a 50-kilometre-long tunnel and was built with more than 100 bridges and 23 modern railway stations and stops. Its central element is the Koralm Tunnel, which, at 33 kilometres long, is the sixth longest railway tunnel in the world.

Construction of the railway line began in 1998. The first sections were put into operation in 2007. Construction of the Koralm Tunnel began in 2008. The final breakthrough of the tunnel took place in 2020. The Carinthian section of the line was put into operation in 2023.

The celebration will feature a spectacular programme of events.

The opening ceremony will be attended by the federal president and high-ranking government officials. Live broadcasts from both locations: the events in Graz and Klagenfurt will be shown simultaneously.

The official part will be followed by a varied programme, offering exciting insights into the world of the Koralmbahn, regional attractions, entertainment for young and old alike, as well as concerts featuring well-known performers from the Austrian music scene.

To mark the opening, special trains will run between the two stations every hour in the afternoon, transporting passengers from one terminus to the other in 41 minutes.

A Hungarian delegation also attended the event. Zsolt Hegyi, CEO of MÁV Group Facebook page.

Speaking about the significance of the connection, he said that travelling to southern Austria has become much more competitive from Hungary, and tickets are now available on the jegy.mav.hu website.