Westbahn is negotiating with the government of Upper
Austria over the details of a direct service between Linz and Graz.
Local press reports suggest the plans offer four trains per day between
the two cities with a journey time of 2h 40min.

westbahn.jpgÖBB drew criticism from provincial politicians in December when it
scrapped the last remaining direct trains on the grounds that the
services made annual losses of around Euros 4.9 million.

Westbahn will go head-to head with ÖBB from December with the launch
its first service between Vienna and Salzburg. Seven stations will
initially be served by 12 trains per day with a journey time of 2h 50
min, falling to 2h 30min when the new Vienna - Tullnerfeld - St Pölten
line opens next year. It expects to carry around 5 million passengers
in its first year of operation and make a profit within five years.