It will be possible to get from Budapest to Vienna Airport by train in just two hours thanks to new project

A 15-year strategy for expanding the rail network in Austria, with one of its main goals being to reduce travel time, has been unveiled.

The "Target Network 2040" ("Célhálózat 2040") includes 67 projects with a total cost of about 26 billion euros, according to Andreas Matthä, CEO of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), HungaryToday reports.

One of the projects is the extension of the rail line in Upper Austria, which will make the journey from Vienna to Munich two and a half hours. The development will also reduce the travel time between Innsbruck and Munich to 65 minutes.

Vienna Airport will also be better integrated into the transport network, providing a two-hour connection from Vienna to Budapest.

Connections to Slovenia and Croatia will be extended, for example, from Graz to Maribor in 45 minutes.

Freight transportation will also become more competitive by making the rail network suitable for longer and heavier trains. Projects include, for example, the construction of the new Bosruck tunnel on the Pyhrn railway line, which could be adapted to accommodate trains weighing up to 1,600 tons.