Closure of the Mittenwald–Innsbruck train route: buses take over!

Closure of the Mittenwald–Innsbruck train route: buses take over!

Train travelers in the region have to prepare for some changes: From Saturday, July 12, 2025, the train route from Mittenwald to Innsbruck will be closed until Monday, September 1, 2025. The reason is extensive renovation work that is intended to improve both the safety and quality of the rail connection. This reports Merkur.

The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have set up a rail replacement service that runs between Innsbruck main station and Mittenwald station. The replacement buses will run every hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. However, bicycle transport is only possible to a limited extent and only selected connections with bicycle trailers are available. Stops for taking along are at the train stations in Innsbruck, Seefeld and Mittenwald.

Extensive renovation work

In total, around 50 construction projects will be carried out along the route during the closure. This includes the construction of eight arches of the Inn Valley Viaduct in Innsbruck, which are being modernized after more than 110 years. Old components will be dismantled and replaced with new ones, each weighing around 2,000 tons. This work is planned in close coordination with monument protection in order to preserve the history of the viaduct. At the same time, there are logistical challenges facing over 250 train journeys required to transport materials and machines as well as compliance with strict weather conditions, which can influence the construction process, as ÖBB reports.

Another goal of the work is the barrier-free redesign of the stops in Gießenbach and Leithen. The platforms are being extended to allow longer train sets to stop. A tactile guidance system will also be installed for visually impaired passengers. The total costs for the renovation work amount to around 1.9 million euros, as Merkur further informs.

Safety and traffic management

The mayor of Mittenwald, Enrico Corongiu, is calm about the closure and emphasizes the importance of safety for passengers. During the work, several railway crossings will also be renewed, including in Innsbruck at Speckweg, Karl-Innerebner-Straße and St.-Georgs-Weg. Diversions are planned, e.g. B. via Tschiggfreystraße or the Höttinger driveway to regulate traffic in affected areas such as Kreuzweg in Reith bei Seefeld and Münchner Straße.

The ÖBB recommends that travelers find out about the connections online before departure. In addition to the work on the Karwendelbahn, a general renovation will also be carried out on other routes such as the Hamburg-Berlin connection from August 2025 to April 2026 in order to make the overall infrastructure future-proof, which underlines the importance of such construction projects for rail transport, according to Deutsche Bahn.

The coming weeks and months will require a good hand in planning the trip in order to navigate the changes as best as possible. However, the renovations in the region are necessary to improve the rail connection between Mittenwald and Innsbruck in the long term.