Railway barriers on Himberger Straße: traffic jams and strains of patience in Favoriten!

Railway barriers on Himberger Straße: traffic jams and strains of patience in Favoriten!

Himberger Straße, an important traffic axis in the south of Favoriten, is currently heavily polluted. The reason: facilities and diversions that were implemented as part of extensive construction work. According to information from meinkreis.at There are currently recurring railway barriers on Himberger Straße that block passage up to eight times an hour. This not only leads to longer waiting times, but also to significant traffic jams, especially during morning and evening traffic, which extend to Alaudagasse.

The affected bus routes, including 17A, 16A, 67A and 67B, also have to prepare for longer stop times. According to a spokeswoman for Wiener Linien, the buses are now on the road for significantly longer. There have already been clashes between angry drivers and overcrowded passengers, leading residents like Erich Guzmits to complain about the patience of road users.

Construction work on Himberger Straße

In addition to the railway barriers, renovation work is affecting the traffic situation. These began on May 23, 2023 and are due to a water problem affecting the Radnitzkygasse and Oberlaaer Straße intersection plateaus. Since the road towards the city center is closed, traffic is currently being routed via temporary traffic lights. A one-way system on Oberlaaer Straße to Volkmarstraße increases traffic on other routes. Owners of shops in the Himberger Strasse area reported a noticeable decline in customers as access to their shops is more difficult.

The diversions, forced by ongoing construction, are part of a larger plan that is expected to last until the end of 2026. The eastern railway network is particularly affected by these construction measures, which forces the ÖBB to run freight trains more frequently. These diversions lead to changes in the regular flow of traffic and pose challenges for many road users.

Long-term infrastructure projects in Vienna

However, the railway system in Vienna will not only be transformed in the short term as a result of these construction measures. A long-term project to make the rapid transit line between Hütteldorf and Meidling more attractive is being planned. These projects have been running since 2016 and require numerous approvals and investment decisions in order to actually be implemented. The plan is to start construction work in 2025 if the conditions are right infrastructure.oebb.at.

With the modernization of the connecting railway from Hütteldorf to Rosenhügelsteg, new stops and modernized entrances will also be created. A continuous, barrier-free transport infrastructure is a central goal to ensure greater comfort and safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The current traffic situation is a test of patience for many, but the long-term plans promise a sustainable improvement of the transport network in Vienna and thus less stress for passengers and residents in the future. So we can only hope that the work will progress quickly and that we will have better traffic flow in the long term.