Rail passengers in Austria face major disruption as 'German corner' closes
Train passengers travelling in parts of Austria are likely to face disruption from Monday as 'Deutsches Eck' closes for construction work.
Travellers are being told to prepare for changes to the timetable, possible delays and cancellations due to the construction work near Chiemsee being carried out by DB Netz AG, the rail infrastructure company of Germany's Deutsche Bahn.
The railway upgrade at the Traunstein - Rumgraben or Rottau - Übersee area of Deutsches Eck (German corner) is taking place from October 16th to November 26th.
Many Austrian trains pass through German corner on their way to other destinations within Austria or elsewhere in Europe.
The construction work affects ÖBB long-distance trains on the routes between Salzburg and Tyrol and Salzburg and Munich.
"The majority of the RJ and RJX trains will be diverted over a large area via Zell am See or a rail replacement service (SEV) with buses will be set up for these trains," ÖBB said.
Some trains will run as scheduled but the Austrian rail operator has urged travellers to find out about their connections well in advance and to plan for the changes.
Here's a look at the changes in more detail:
Replacement rail service between Salzburg and Tyrol
Some Railjet (RJ) or RJX services between Salzburg and Kufstein, Wörgl, Jenbach and Innsbruck will run with a bus replacement service. The buses can depart up to 15 minutes later than the regular train timetable, and the journey time may be extended by up to 30 minutes.
Detour via Zell am See
In some cases, RJ and RJX trains between Wörgl and Salzburg main station are being rerouted via Zell am See. However, there will be no planned stop in Kufstein for these trains. The journey time may be extended by up to 90 minutes, the rail operator said.
READ ALSO: Deutches Eck - How German strikes could disrupt Austrian trains this summer
Route closure to Munich
On the Munich – Salzburg route, platform and overhead line work is being carried out between Rosenheim and Freilassing. To carry this out, the route is being closed and that means several train connections are affected.
RJ, RJX or EC connections between Vienna/Budapest - Munich; Klagenfurt - Munich/Frankfurt/Dortmund; Graz - Saarbrücken/Frankfurt am Main or Frankfurt am Main - Villach, are cancelled between Munich and Salzburg main station for the duration of the DB construction work at the Deutsches Eck.
Night trains cancelled
The NJ connections 468 (Vienna Hbf - Paris Est) and 469 (Paris Est - Vienna Hbf) will be canceled on October 30th - 31st and October 31st - November 1st.
What else should I know?
Westbahn trains are less affected by the construction work - 90 percent of connections to Innsbruck and 83 percent of connections to Munich are still running.
However, some trains are also expected to be delayed, and replacement rail buses will be used at the end of November. There are also restrictions on Salzburg-Munich regional trains operated by the Bavarian Regiobahn BRB.
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Travellers are being told to prepare for changes to the timetable, possible delays and cancellations due to the construction work near Chiemsee being carried out by DB Netz AG, the rail infrastructure company of Germany's Deutsche Bahn.
The railway upgrade at the Traunstein - Rumgraben or Rottau - Übersee area of Deutsches Eck (German corner) is taking place from October 16th to November 26th.
Many Austrian trains pass through German corner on their way to other destinations within Austria or elsewhere in Europe.
The construction work affects ÖBB long-distance trains on the routes between Salzburg and Tyrol and Salzburg and Munich.
"The majority of the RJ and RJX trains will be diverted over a large area via Zell am See or a rail replacement service (SEV) with buses will be set up for these trains," ÖBB said.
Some trains will run as scheduled but the Austrian rail operator has urged travellers to find out about their connections well in advance and to plan for the changes.
Here's a look at the changes in more detail:
Replacement rail service between Salzburg and Tyrol
Some Railjet (RJ) or RJX services between Salzburg and Kufstein, Wörgl, Jenbach and Innsbruck will run with a bus replacement service. The buses can depart up to 15 minutes later than the regular train timetable, and the journey time may be extended by up to 30 minutes.
Detour via Zell am See
In some cases, RJ and RJX trains between Wörgl and Salzburg main station are being rerouted via Zell am See. However, there will be no planned stop in Kufstein for these trains. The journey time may be extended by up to 90 minutes, the rail operator said.
READ ALSO: Deutches Eck - How German strikes could disrupt Austrian trains this summer
Route closure to Munich
On the Munich – Salzburg route, platform and overhead line work is being carried out between Rosenheim and Freilassing. To carry this out, the route is being closed and that means several train connections are affected.
RJ, RJX or EC connections between Vienna/Budapest - Munich; Klagenfurt - Munich/Frankfurt/Dortmund; Graz - Saarbrücken/Frankfurt am Main or Frankfurt am Main - Villach, are cancelled between Munich and Salzburg main station for the duration of the DB construction work at the Deutsches Eck.
Night trains cancelled
The NJ connections 468 (Vienna Hbf - Paris Est) and 469 (Paris Est - Vienna Hbf) will be canceled on October 30th - 31st and October 31st - November 1st.
What else should I know?
Westbahn trains are less affected by the construction work - 90 percent of connections to Innsbruck and 83 percent of connections to Munich are still running.
However, some trains are also expected to be delayed, and replacement rail buses will be used at the end of November. There are also restrictions on Salzburg-Munich regional trains operated by the Bavarian Regiobahn BRB.
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