Since early November 2025, the first freight trains are rolling over the Koralm Railway. According to ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, which uses the new connection between Carinthia and Styria and, from now on, transports freight along the 130-kilometre-long new route, this is a milestone for freight traffic in Austria and Europe.
“With the start of freight traffic on the Koralm Railway, a new chapter for rail freight transport in Austria begins. Thanks to the new Koralm Railway, we can offer our customers shorter transport times and more capacity for climate-friendly logistics,” said ÖBB Rail Cargo Group spokesperson Clemens Först.
Faster and more efficient
Going forward, trains between Graz and Villach South will no longer have to take the detour via Knittelfeld, Leoben and Frohnleiten; they will reach their destination faster as a
result. According to ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, this is especially important for single wagon traffic. Wagons carrying goods from different customers would be efficiently consolidated.
One advantage of the new flat route is that trains could haul higher loads of an additional 250 to 280 tonnes per train. By shorter journey times and more efficient turnarounds, up to 300,000 train-kilometres per year could be saved, it says.
Additionally, the lower gradients on the Koralm Railway (10 per mille instead of 16 per mille) should improve efficiency, as less energy will be consumed for the journeys.
Transport for Paper Production
As one of the first freight trains, on 4 November 2025, a single-wagon train of ÖBB Rail Cargo Group traversed the new route. In the case of a single-wagon train, the wagons come
from different directions to the large marshalling yard in Villach Süd and are assembled into a train. Thereafter they proceed on the new route toward Graz, where they are separated again at the marshalling yard and distributed to their destinations.
Also, ÖBB Rail Cargo Group customer Omya is using the new Koralm Railway to make logistics processes more efficient and climate-friendly. Thus, mineral fillers for paper production are to be transported more by rail within Austria in the future.
“The new route enables us to carry out transports even more sustainably and resource-efficiently,” said Omya.
Part of the Baltic-Adriatic Sea Corridor
The southern axis will, together with the Koralm Railway, form part of the Baltic-Adriatic Sea Corridor, which connects Europe from north to south and economic regions from the Baltic Sea to
the Adriatic. The full impact of the Koralm Railway is expected to unfold further with the completion of other major projects – for example the Semmering Base Tunnel.
According to the information, with the new Koralm Railway and the existing route over the Neumarkt Saddle, a four-track southern axis is being created. This would create up to 30 percent additional capacity for freight traffic.
Soon also for passenger traffic
The Koralm Railway is a major infrastructure project: 130 kilometres of new track, around 50 kilometres of tunnels, over 100 bridges, and 23 stations and stops connect Graz and Klagenfurt.
The 33-kilometre-long Koralm Tunnel is one of the longest railway tunnels in the world. It is planned that on 14 December 2025 the first passenger trains will also commence operation on the Koralm
