Since 2019, only freight trains have been running on the Aschacher Bahn route between Krenglbach and Aschach an der Donau: At that time, the ÖBB stopped all passenger trains amid great protest from the local population. Plans for revitalization have so far only been mentioned as a side note to the LILO expansion and the construction of the new Linz light rail system.
As of January 1, 2024, “Schiene OÖ GmbH”, which is 100 percent owned by the state via the transport holding company and is also responsible for the Linz city railway, among other things, will take over the operational management of the Aschacher Bahn. It is a harbinger of the planned reactivation of part of the route for passenger traffic: the eight kilometers of tracks between Eferding and Aschach are to be electrified and serve as an extension of the LILO. There are currently no such plans for the Eferding-Haiding section (Krenglbach municipality).
State Transport Councilor Günther Steinkellner (FP) speaks of a “historic moment in the development of public transport in Upper Austria. With this takeover we are laying the foundation for improved and more efficient transport connections.” According to Steinkellner, Aschach and the surrounding communities should be better connected to public transport.
New funding opportunities
With the takeover of the Aschacher Bahn, the Upper Austrian railway is now officially considered a private railway – and thus has access to its own federal funding. In addition to planning the Linz city railway, these funds will also be used to convert Eferding train station and prepare it for the planned 15-minute service.
The country is still holding back on concrete plans. The Eferding train station should be modernized by 2030; there is no time horizon yet for the electrification of the Aschach-Eferding line. The only thing that is certain is that freight traffic on the route must remain possible for ÖBB until 2030. For the time being, they are also entrusted with operational management until a new regulation is found – the logical candidate would be the LILO operating company Stern and Hafferl, but there are no official statements on this either.
SPÖ district chairman and member of the state parliament Thomas Antlinger was one of the biggest critics of the cessation of passenger traffic on the Aschacher Bahn. He basically welcomes Steinkellner’s commitment to the project, he tells the Welser Zeitung. “So that we don’t just pay lip service, we need a timetable. The prospect of 2030 for the station is also a bit slim, so all options are left open,” says Antlinger.
Author
Valentin Bayer
Editor Upper Austria
Valentin Bayer
