ÖBB upgrades Western Railway between Linz and Wels to four tracks

ÖBB is upgrading the previously two-track Western Railway between Linz and Wels to four tracks throughout, removing a long-standing capacity bottleneck for passenger and freight traffic. Several sections are being built in parallel: the 16 km Linz–Marchtrenk section (EU co-financed, new accessible stops with park-and-ride facilities) and the roughly 6 km Marchtrenk–Wels section (construction started November 2021, partial commissioning in 2026); the section on the western side of Linz is still partly in the planning phase. Around EUR 114 million alone is being invested in the Linz–Wels expansion in 2025; full completion is scheduled for 2030 according to the project list. Update (15 Jun 2026): On 14 June 2026 ÖBB slid an additional railway bridge over the A25 into its final position near Wels-Maxlhaid; the 93.36 m long steel tied-arch bridge weighs about 3,500 tonnes and was installed without closing the line or running replacement buses. It is part of the extension to four tracks, which is under construction along a 24 km section between Linz main station and Wels; ÖBB does not expect the full benefit of four-track operation until 2031, so the completion date moves to 2031. The date is a placeholder: the article gives only the year 2031. (LOK Report, 15 Jun 2026) Update (2 November 2026): The third new railway bridge over the A25 underwent a load test with up to six locomotives on 31 October 2026; between Marchtrenk and Wels the SUZ 500 rapid track-renewal train laid almost five kilometres of track in three days. The new tracks are due to open to trains from December 2026, and ÖBB says the project is on schedule (LOK Report, 2 November 2026).