ÖBB has announced the start of maintenance work on the Innsbruck–Bolzano line, one of Europe’s most important north-south connections.
The work will cause disruptions to both regional and long-distance service. Due to the work, service will be suspended on certain sections, and replacement buses will be provided on the affected routes.
According to ÖBB, the work will take place in two phases and will involve restrictions for both regional and long-distance trains. From July 18 to August 1, international trains between Innsbruck and Bolzano will be replaced by buses.
Consequently, starting July 18, due to construction on the Italian side, access to Brenner Station will not be possible. Therefore, all regional trains will run only as far as Gries am Brenner or depart from there, in order to spare commuters, in particular, from having to make additional transfers.
In the second phase, between July 23 and August 1, the Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof–Brenner section will also be closed, and replacement buses will run between Innsbruck Central Station and Brenner. In South Tyrol, a similar train replacement service will be organized between Brenner and Brixen. For the connection to St. Jodok, a shuttle service using small-capacity taxis will be introduced.
Work on the Brenner Corridor
The Brenner Main Line is one of Europe’s most important rail corridors for passenger and freight transport. Difficult geographical conditions, heavy traffic, snow, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles have caused damage to the infrastructure, making urgent repairs necessary to maintain the line’s capacity and reliability.
“To ensure that passengers and freight can continue to be transported quickly and on time across the Brenner in the future, maintenance work is required. We are taking advantage of this period of service suspension on the Italian side to carry out urgent infrastructure repairs,” states ÖBB.
The main component of the project is the repair of frost damage in the Mühltal Tunnel, and at the same time, maintenance will be performed on the tracks in the Patsch–Brenner area.
Due to the work on the southern branch of the Brenner line, long-distance trains between Innsbruck and Bolzano will be partially suspended from July 17 to August 1, and direct buses will be provided between the two regional capitals in their place. Bicycles cannot be transported on the replacement buses for long-distance service.
The construction work on the Innsbruck–Bolzano line is part of the program to maintain the capacity of the Brenner main line, a strategic rail corridor connecting Austria and Italy that plays a vital role in European passenger and freight transport.
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