In the referendum in the Austrian state of Salzburg on Sunday, 53.2 per cent of voters decided against the S-Link project in Salzburg and 46.8 per cent in favour. This involves the construction of an underground extension of the local electric railway line, which would run from Ostermieting and Lamprechtshausen to the city centre. From there, the line would have continued largely above ground to Hallein.
This approximately 15-kilometre-long extension, known as the S-LINK, is intended to significantly improve the traffic situation in the city and, above all, relieve the heavily congested city centre of commuter traffic. The local railway line currently ends at Salzburg Central Station, where it runs through an underground station that was built between 1992 and 1996 with a view to a possible extension into the city centre. This station replaced the previous above-ground terminus at the local railway station. Until 1953, the local railway ran above ground through the city centre and continued its route to Parsch and St. Leonhard. From 1929 to 1938, the line even extended as far as Berchtesgaden in Bavaria.
Approximately 157,000 people live in the city of Salzburg, and a more than 360,000 in the metropolitan area.
The result
Support for the S-Link was particularly strong in the municipalities that are already located on the existing local railway line. Here, more than 70 per cent of voters gave their approval in some cases, as local residents would have been the biggest beneficiaries of an extension. However, in the affected areas through which the planned route was to run, the rejection was much more pronounced: in Anif and Hallein, over 60 per cent voted against the project. The rejection was also particularly strong in the city of Salzburg itself, with 59.6 per cent of votes against, while 40.4 per cent voted in favour of the project.
Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) described the result as close but clear and announced that alternative solutions would now be sought to address the transport problems in the metropolitan area.
The S-Link was intended to significantly reduce traffic congestion in the region. However, the survey was not just about this one project, but also about the ‘Salzburg mobility solution’, which also includes two branch lines and a reorganisation of regional bus services.
One argument put forward by project opponents was the high total cost estimate of around 2.2 billion euros (excluding the branch lines), whereby the calculations already included reserves for cost increases and risk surcharges. The federal government had announced that it would cover half of the construction costs up to Hallein.
The project had wide-ranging political support, although many parties made their approval dependent on the outcome of the referendum. Only the Social Democrats, both at state and city level, were clearly against the S-Link. Salzburg’s mayor Bernhard Auinger (SPÖ) not only opposed the project, but also warned of the financial burden that the construction could place on the city.
At 42.2 per cent, voter turnout was significantly higher than in a similar vote in the city the previous year, when only 22.35 per cent of citizens took part in the survey. Of the 25,269 valid votes cast in 2023, 41.7 per cent were in favour of the project and 58.3 per cent against.
We last reported on the S-LINK here:
https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/s-link-salzburg-planning-for-the-messe-link-under-way-but-implementation-of-the-overall-concept-still-open/
