Railroad construction works on the section between Merano/Meran and Tel/Töll are all set to resume and are expected to last 11 months.
In the course of the electrification of the Venosta/Vinschgau valley railway line, retrofitting works on the Monte Giuseppe/Josefsberg and Tel/Töll railway tunnels had started as planned in late November 2021. Only shortly after, however, E.MA.PRI.CE – the company commissioned to carry out the works – had to file for composition proceedings with the Treviso insolvency court. That was in December 2021. In the spring of 2022, the court then ordered for all works along the Venosta/Vinschgau valley railway line to be stopped.
Works to be continued by construction company second in line
“In spite of huge legal difficulties, this summer we successfully dissolved the contract with E.MA.PRI.CE. On the one hand, this cleared the way for negotiations with F.I.S. from Bergamo – the construction company that had come in second in the initial tender, which will start work on the Monte Giuseppe/Josefsberg and Tel/Töll railway tunnels in the next few weeks. On the other hand, we have made good use of the extra time for further geo-technical analyses,” said Joachim Dejaco, Director at STA – Südtiroler Transportstrukturen AG/Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige SpA –, the company overseeing the electrification works along the Venosta/Vinschgau valley railway line.
The work on the Monte Giuseppe/Josefsberg and Tel/Töll railway tunnels are scheduled to take some 11 months including track laying. In parallel, works will start in spring to erect some 1,500 masts for the overhead line along the entire valley, consequently, interruptions to rail traffic at weekends will be necessary for a longer period of time.
“Commuters are currently experiencing a challenging time – something that we are well aware of. Resuming the construction works is an important step in getting out of this difficult situation and working to ensure that the railway will soon be up and running again along the entire valley. After all, trains are the backbone of a functioning public passenger transport system,” as South Tyrol Minister for Mobility Daniel Alfreider stressed.
Replacement bus services
Rail replacement services Merano/Meran-Tel/Töll (bus no. 250B): Peak-time services from Merano/Meran (bus platform Z next to the subway to the train platforms) will depart 10 minutes earlier, allowing for more time to make the connection at Tel/Töll train station even during rush-hour traffic. For passengers arriving from Bolzano/Bozen, however, this means that there will no longer be a direct connection at Merano/Meran train station and that they will therefore have to expect slightly longer travel times.
Please note that the journey times of the replacement buses may vary depending on the traffic and may take longer than expected. There can be no guarantee that all passengers will make their connection!
Checking in to validate your ticket: Please note that tickets can neither be purchased nor checked in and validated on replacement bus services. Therefore, please remember to check in your tickets and subscription passes before boarding at Merano/Meran train station (bus platform Z) or in Tel/Töll.
Bicycle transport: Please note that it is not possible to carry bikes on replacement buses.