Vienna Airport–Bruck an der Leitha rail link delayed to 2030 start

The roughly 24.7 km Flughafenspange is planned to directly connect Vienna Airport-Schwechat with the Ostbahn line near Bruck an der Leitha, running along the A4 motorway corridor through Lower Austria (including Enzersdorf an der Fischa, Sarasdorf, Trautmannsdorf an der Leitha). The environmental impact assessment is currently underway, with a public hearing held in Schwechat in February 2026; the construction period was stated as 2028-2035, though the start was postponed to 2030 as part of budget consolidation measures announced on 12 June 2026. According to ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä, the line is about 26 km long, designed for up to 250 km/h and costs just under EUR 1.9 billion; in February 2025 completion was targeted for 2034 (unternehmerweb.at, 13 Feb 2025). The earlier Götzendorf variant was estimated at around EUR 145 million in 2011. The date is a placeholder: the end of the stated 2028–2035 construction period; no new date has been given since the start was postponed.