Aich–Mittlern–­Althofen/Drau

Since the end of 2014, visitors to Stein on the banks of the Drau river have been able to marvel at a mighty bridge. At around 600 metres, it is the longest railway bridge in Carinthia. It also forms one of the engineering highlights on the Koralm Railway between Aich and Althofen/Drau.

Aerial photo of the new Drau bridge.

Through Lower Carinthia by train

The route for this line was developed by ÖBB-Infrastruktur together with local residents and the region. The municipality of Bleiburg and the market town of Feistritz ob Bleiburg are integrated into the high-speed line via the existing “Bleiburg Loop”. Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See railway station is being built in a new location, which will also benefit tourism in the region. Thanks to the Koralm Railway, Lower Carinthia now also has access to the new Southern Line.

The final phase of construction work

The shell of the entire section has already been completed. In the Kühnsdorf area, the substructure work was completed in 2013, and in St. Kanzian, construction started in 2015: Here ÖBB-Infrastruktur built three tunnels and two railway bridges. In Mittlern, a total of nine road and railway bridges were built, as well as the new Mittlern railway station, which has already been put into operation. At the same time, the Stein and Lind tunnels continue to take shape on both sides of the Drau Bridge.