NASA demands railway line from Salzburg to Ischl
In Salzburg, the construction of a new railway line is planned to relieve traffic in the provincial capital. The S-LINK is intended as an extension of the local railway. The new line is to begin at the main train station and cross the old town underground in a southerly direction. Construction could start in 2023. The first kilometer to Mirabell Palace alone is said to cost 200 million euros.
The platform “Nahverkehr Salzburg” (NASA), an alliance of nature conservation association, association for the promotion of the regional city railway, action Flachgau worth living in and other initiatives, presented an alternative project yesterday. In their opinion, the line should cross Salzburg above ground, because the construction and operation would then be cheaper. Instead, the platform also calls for further rail connections to the surrounding area. The last of three expansion stages is to extend a railway line from Salzburg to St. Gilgen to Bad Ischl. The Salzkammergut local railway ran here until 1957.
Yesterday, NASA representatives called for their concept to be compared with the S-LINK in a cost-benefit study. But their attempt is likely to be unsuccessful. Salzburg’s Transport Provincial Councilor Stefan Schnöll (ÖVP) has already indicated that he wants to stick with the plans for the S-LINK.
Consolation for the residents of Bad Ischl: Bus line 150 between Bad Ischl and Salzburg can be used free of charge every Friday until June 24th. It is made possible by the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, which wants to encourage people to use public transport with the “Gasoline Free Days” campaign.