About this journey

The journey departs from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, a station first connected to the international railway network in 1860 and later rebuilt at a cost of 270 million Euros under the ÖBB-Bahnhofsoffensive programme, with construction beginning on 7 November 2008. It was heavily damaged by bombing raids in 1944 and 1945, and the rebuilt station replaced its former bay platforms with through platforms.

From Salzburg, the route follows the Tauern Railway, completed in 1909 to link Salzburg with Villach and onward to Trieste. The line branches away from the Western Railway corridor at Schwarzach-St. Veit, passing through Bischofshofen and Zell am See along the way. The Tauern Railway was a significant addition to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof's role as a transport junction, and it remains a principal Alpine corridor today.

The journey ends at Villach Hauptbahnhof, itself a major railway junction where the Tauern Railway meets the Southern Railway toward Vienna. The station is served by Railjet, EuroCity, EuroNight, InterCity, and Regional-Express services, as well as the Carinthian S-Bahn, and connects onward to destinations including Zurich, Zagreb, and Rome. Where Salzburg Hauptbahnhof marks the northern gateway onto the Tauern Railway, Villach marks its southern terminus and the start of several further international routes.