240-million-euro investment in Tyrol's railway infrastructure

Modernisation plan of train stations and rail spaces is set up in the state of Tyrol with ÖBB, the Austrian Federal Railways

Yesterday, 25 February 2021, the state of Tyrol in Austria signed a major rail expansion contract with the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB). The new infrastructure investment is for 240 million euros and it will be used to modernise train stations and railways. “Tyrolean Contract 2” was presented in Innsbruck following the first project “Tyrolean Contract 1”, which has already concluded.

From the overall expenditure of 240 million euros, the national share is going to be 55 million. The funding will be spread over the next ten years and 8.4 million euros will be invested specifically in services for the municipalities.

“A total of 18 traffic stations will be modernised in Tyrol by 2030 - some of them will be newly built - whereby the multimodal link between rail, bus, bike + ride and park + ride will play a key role,” emphasised State Governor Platter and Deputy Governor Felipe.

Climate change is one target

The expansion of the railways in Tyrol will help to build a climate-friendly environment with modern bicycle lockers, mobility hubs, and modern train stations. These are investments that support climate protection and at the same time guarantee a steady economy and ensure jobs in the regions.

The aim is to reduce the traffic on the roads and motorways and to functionalise the public transport to make it easier for commuters. The carbon-footprint impact of ÖBB is about 4.2 million tons of CO2 annually.

Securing jobs is another target

Stimulating the economy and creating job opportunities will bring investments to Tyrol and Austria. Considering the pandemic that brought overall high rates of unemployment, every billion invested will create 15 000 jobs, numbers which are better than expected.  

In addition, new parking decks are to be built at the train stations and ÖBB plans to create mobility offers to attract more passengers depending on their travelling needs.