New Brno-Vienna rail connection would allow train traffic to take off

Mayor Michael Ludwig received Brno Mayor Marketa Vankova, who arrived by direct train to the Vienna airport

Yesterday, a delegation from Brno in the Czech Republic, including Mayor Marketa Vankova, travelled by train directly to Vienna’s Schwechat airport. There, Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig greeted the delegation.

Mayor Ludwig said that a direct route from Brno to the airport was a first, however, he hopes that this would soon change, announcing the planned route with his Czech counterparts.

The two met to discuss the details of the possible connection between the two cities, with Mayor Vankova emphasising the political will to implement the decision as soon as possible.

Train connections against climate change

Back in May 2021, Austria, the Czech Republic and Germany signed a memorandum on a direct rail connection between Berlin and Vienna, via Prague. Michael Ludwig explained that linking the airport with Brno could be a valuable first step in achieving this goal.

Furthermore, it would undoubtedly increase rail traffic between the two countries and by connecting the airport to another major urban centre, it would lessen car dependency. Currently, a car trip between Brno and Vienna takes about 45 minutes to an hour, while a train trip would take significantly less.

Helping the post-Covid recovery

It is no secret that air travel has been hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic and the industry is still struggling to recover passenger levels to pre-pandemic levels. Current passenger figures for Schwechat are 55% below those in 2019, despite a significant increase in the last year.

The train connection has the potential to increase passengers on Schwechat airport, as Brno is actually closer to Vienna than it is to Prague.

According to a study, conducted by the airport, it has the potential to serve an area with a radius of 200 kilometres in all directions. The study also claims that there is a hidden potential of half a million passenger trips annually in this 200-kilometre region, compared to the current 140,000.