Brenner Line Reopens as Regular Train Services Return

AUSTRIA: The Brenner line reopened to regular passenger and freight trains between Innsbruck and Brenner after ÖBB completed scheduled maintenance during a coordinated trans-Alpine route closure.

ÖBB completes tunnel and track maintenance

In its reopening notice, ÖBB said trains returned to the regular timetable on Sunday, 2 August. The Austrian infrastructure manager had coordinated its work with a closure on the Italian side of the corridor, using the same window to avoid a separate interruption.

The Austrian programme focused on repairs to frost damage inside the Mühltaltunnel and maintenance of the tracks between Patsch and Brenner. With those works complete, the temporary operating restriction on this section of the Brenner route has ended.

Don’t miss…India Approves ₹976 Crore Danapur–Fatuha Rail Project

Replacement buses give way to regular trains

Around 50 buses maintained regional and long-distance connections during the closure. ÖBB’s detailed passenger information shows that all local trains between Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof and Brennero/Brenner were cancelled from 23 July to 1 August, with buses serving the main intermediate stations and a taxi shuttle connecting St. Jodok.

Long-distance trains between Innsbruck and Bolzano also could not operate from 17 July to 1 August because of work on the Brenner south ramp. Direct and express replacement buses operated between the two cities, while services RJ 80, RJ 81 and RJ 1281 were diverted via the Tauern route and Tarvisio.

The 2 August reopening restored regular cross-border passenger travel and removed the temporary restriction for freight trains on the north–south Alpine corridor. Passenger services no longer depend on the special bus plan, and freight operators can again use the regular timetable between Innsbruck and Brenner.