The Koralmbahn is already running in Carinthia. The “Krone” took part in the maiden voyage, which only lasted 26 minutes, and got an impression of the historic event.
The Koralmbahn project of the century is slowly entering the home stretch. While hard work is still going on in the tunnel under the Koralm, the first completed section of the new high-speed line was officially put into operation on Thursday. Hundreds took the Cityjet on its maiden voyage of 53 kilometers from Klagenfurt to St. Paul im Lavanttal. And it lasted exactly 26 minutes!Historic day for everyone involved. Even for the experienced train driver Benjamin Melcher, it was a historic day: “Today I too can be emotional for once.” Andreas Bernik and his Katharina felt the same way: “We were here at the last one The ride was there, it had to be the first one.” In the future, St. Paul monastery priest Marian Kollmann, who, like Governor Peter Kaiser, experienced a historic day, will probably get on the train more often: “It’s a great hour for Carinthia! The first milestone in the construction of the megaproject has been achieved.” In the marquee at the train station in St. Paul, Kaiser thanked the many workers and planners who had been working on the new route for years: “This is thanks to you!” And EU ambassadors Martin Selmayr added: “The Baltic-Adriatic corridor brings Europe closer together.” The CEO of the ÖBB Holding, Andreas Matthä, a native of Villach, also beamed: “The opening of the section is a significant milestone. People wanted to conquer the mountain, the Koralpe, 100 years ago. It will be done in 2025.”The new rail connection between Klagenfurt and Graz is intended to help achieve the EU’s goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050. Vice Chancellor Werner Kogler: “The route is great for the economy and for the people in the region. In the future, train riders will be able to get to their destination quicker and more easily.” However, Emil, Anna and Ludwig Sandrisser, who were traveling to St. Paul with their dad and mom in the comfortable train, were less impressed: “It was much more exciting for us on the Krampus train!”
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