For years, Graz and Klagenfurt have felt like they belonged to different corners of Austria. They’re both in the south, yes — but the rail link between them was slow enough that you often planned your trip around it.
That changes with the Koralmbahn (Koralm Railway): a new, high-performance line between Graz Hbf and Klagenfurt Hbf, built for fast passenger services and serious freight capacity. The centrepiece is the 33 km Koralm Tunnel under the Koralpe mountains, and the full route is designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h.
And the headline for travellers is wonderfully simple:
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Graz ↔ Klagenfurt in about 41–45 minutes on the fastest services
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The full line entered service with the timetable change in mid-December 2025
This isn’t just “a faster train”. It’s a new map of Austria 🗺️
Think of the Koralmbahn as Austria drawing a new southern spine:
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Graz and Klagenfurt become a near-commutable pairing (at least by European intercity standards)
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It strengthens onward rail links via Villach towards Italy and Slovenia, because southern Austria becomes easier to cross quickly rather than “going the long way round”
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Long-distance rail services across Austria are expected to increase, with the Koralmbahn acting as a catalyst for denser and more frequent connections
In other words: it’s not only about saving minutes. It’s about making whole combinations of places feel natural by rail.
The bigger Alpine story: Europe’s Baltic–Adriatic corridor 🌍⚙️
Zoom out and the Koralmbahn becomes an Alpine missing link.
For decades, the Alps have been where European rail ambitions slow down — gradients, tunnels, and capacity limits shaping what is realistically possible. The Koralmbahn sits within the Baltic–Adriatic north–south axis, designed to link economic regions from northern Europe through Austria to the Adriatic ports.
Together with projects like the Semmering Base Tunnel, the Koralmbahn removes one of the last major bottlenecks across the Austrian Alps. The result is a rail corridor that finally behaves like a through route, not a collection of disconnected segments.
What it means for rail travel beyond Austria 🇩🇪🇨🇿🇮🇹🇸🇮
Because this line is a connector, it quietly reshapes how rail journeys across central and southern Europe fit together.
Germany → Austria → Italy feels more “through” 🚆
Travellers coming from Munich, Frankfurt, or Berlin increasingly experience southern Austria as part of a smooth north–south journey. Faster travel between Graz and Klagenfurt makes it easier to combine Vienna, Styria, Carinthia, and onward routes towards Udine, Venice, or Trieste in a single rail itinerary.
Czechia → Austria gains depth 🇨🇿
From Prague or Brno, Austria often acts as a hub. The strengthened southern axis means Vienna is no longer the end of the story — continuing on to Graz and Klagenfurt becomes straightforward rather than a timetable puzzle.
Slovenia feels closer — because it is 🤝
Graz already sits near Slovenia geographically. With the Koralmbahn in place, it becomes easier to combine Austrian cities with Maribor or Ljubljana without awkward detours or slow mountain sections dominating the trip.
Italy becomes a natural add-on 🇮🇹
Northern Italy shifts from “another holiday” to “another stop”. That’s the quiet power of fast Alpine crossings: they turn borders into pauses, not barriers.
The policy backdrop in plain English 🌱
The Koralmbahn reflects two overlapping trends:
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European rail strategy: build continuous, cross-border rail corridors that work for both passengers and freight
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Austrian delivery: invest in big, structural projects that change how the whole network behaves, not just individual journeys
This is rail policy focused on outcomes — fewer cars over mountain passes, fewer short-haul flights, and a stronger role for rail in everyday European mobility.
The fun bit: a Graz + Klagenfurt two-city break ✨
The Koralmbahn makes this pairing feel like one trip instead of two loosely connected ones.
A simple 3-day plan
Day 1: Graz
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Old Town wandering, Schlossberg views, dinner in the Lend district
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Fly into Graz from various European hubs and leisure routes
Day 2: Train to Klagenfurt
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Morning coffee, then rail to Klagenfurt in well under an hour 🚄
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Afternoon by the Wörthersee — one of Austria’s most relaxed lake settings
Day 3: Klagenfurt + home
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Fly out from Klagenfurt (including Vienna connections and selected European routes), or
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Rail back to Graz and depart from there — now an easy choice rather than a compromise
Flights in and out ✈️➡️🚆
Modern city breaks often mix modes: fly in, rail around, fly out. Graz and Klagenfurt now work perfectly as a pair because the rail link between them finally matches the convenience of their air connections.
Why this line really matters 🌄➡️🌍
At heart, the Koralmbahn is about confidence: confidence that rail can cross the Alps quickly, reliably, and attractively. It reshapes domestic Austrian travel, strengthens international routes through the mountains, and makes southern Austria feel central rather than peripheral.
For visitors, it turns Graz and Klagenfurt into an easy, elegant two-city break. For Europe, it’s another piece of proof that the Alpine barrier is no longer the end of the line — just a spectacular section of it. 🚆✨