About this journey

Graz Hauptbahnhof station stands at the heart of the Austrian Southern Railway, the corridor that carries long-distance traffic north toward Vienna and south toward Slovenia. The station's history reflects the upheavals of the twentieth century: a first station opened here in 1847, a larger replacement was completed between 1871 and 1876, and that building was totally destroyed in Allied bombing raids in 1945. The current station was completed in 1956, and from 2010 the site underwent further redevelopment, with all platforms lengthened and two additional regional platforms constructed.

The Southern Railway corridor connects this rebuilt Graz station to Wien Hauptbahnhof, itself a product of large-scale reinvention. Consented by the Vienna city council on 15 December 2006, the new through-station replaced the former Wien Südbahnhof terminus and became fully operational in December 2015. Its construction incorporated around 100 km of new track and around 300 switches and crossings, while five island platforms sit beneath canopies roughly 210 metres long. Around 268,000 daily commuters now pass through it, making it Austria's busiest long-distance station. A Lion of St Mark salvaged from the old Südbahnhof is displayed inside, recalling the route's historic connection to Venice. The journey from Graz thus runs between two stations shaped entirely by the same century of destruction and renewal.