Closures in Pustertal railway line and rail replacement service B400
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In cooperation with the national infrastructure manager RFI, the railway company SAD and STA, STA – Südtiroler Transportstrukturen AG/Strutture Trasporto Alto Adige SpA, an attempt was made to maintain railway operations in Hochpustertal/Alta Val Pusteria despite the separation from the Italian railway network and to avoid the year-round closure of the Bruneck/Brunico-Innichen/San Candido line.
This “island operation” is a particular challenge for all involved: vehicles used on the Bruneck/Brunico-Innichen/San Candido-Lienz line cannot be maintained as usual in the workshops in Bozen/Bolzano and Meran/Merano.
By adapting the existing depot in Innichen/San Candido as a workshop, standard vehicle maintenance and inspections can also be carried out at Innichen/San Candido station from 15 December 2024.
In addition, a specific programme of measures has been drawn up for the operation of this railway line, defining procedures for snow clearance, vehicle recovery in the event of accidents and various other points. Thanks to these preparations, the period of closure in Hochpustertal/Alta Val Pusteria can be reduced to a minimum.
The railway line Bruneck/Brunico-Innichen/San Candido will be closed from 14.04.2025 to 02.06.2025. Railway services on the Innichen/San Candido-Sillian line will be interrupted between 14.04.2025 and 27.04.2025.
This is due to preparatory work for the installation of the new European Train Control System (ETCS) and other exceptional maintenance work on the line. There will also be a replacement bus service every half hour (line B500).
Detailed info on: The new Pustertal/Val Pusteria railway line.
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There is already a 15-minute timetable rotation in Pustertal/Val Pusteria and in Drautal/Val Drava, which will also be implemented in the 2026 timetable scenario. These changes are due to the opening of the Riggertal/Val di Riga route and the new Koralm railway.
In Hochpustertal/Alta Val Pusteria, however, the changes to the train and bus timetable have been brought forward by one year. The aim of this measure is to offer users replacement services with optimised transfer times at Brixen/Bressanone and Bruneck/Brunico railway stations, to allow a timetable change with a fixed and predictable date, to stabilise the timetable already in 2025 and to reduce the extent of the changes in 2026.
During the closure of the railway line in Unteres Pustertal/Bassa Pusteria, a bus service will be organised to provide a connection between the stations of Brixen/Bressanone and Bruneck/Brunico.
Park & Ride at brixen/Bressanone and Bruneck/Brunico during the closure of the Pustertal/Pusteria valley
For commuters using this service, the validations apply at the following stops for round trips with buses:
- Brixen/Bressanone: Felthurnerstrße/Via Velturno – Brixen/Bressanone, station – Brixen/Bressanone, station avenue – Brixen/Bressanone, bus station;
- Bruneck/Brunico: Stegner Markt/Stegona Market – Bruneck/Brunico, station.
The transport concept was developed in consultation with municipalities, schools, and tourism organisations. The draft timetable was also presented to the public as part of the annual timetable process. Suggestions and objections from stakeholders and passengers have been taken into account as far as possible in the planning process.
For example, replacement buses run between the railway stations in the main centres of Brixen/Bressanone and Bruneck/Brunico. In order to offer attractive journey times and maintain connections, it was decided not to serve all the stations along the route, but instead to serve stops far from the stations but close to the centres of the individual villages.
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Im Bedarfsfall kann zusätzlich auf die Regionallinie 401 zurückgegriffen werden. Die Linie 401 bedient neben den Haltepunkten des Ersatzverkehrs noch zusätzliche Haltestellen.
No, the replacement buses only run on the Brixen/Bressanone-Bruneck/Brunico route.
The replacement buses will not continue to Bozen/Bolzano. For the Brixen/Bressanone-Bozen/Bolzano route, the existing train service can be used, with shorter journey times and greater capacity.
This makes efficient use of available resources, avoids parallel transport and provides a more flexible service if required.
No, Franzensfeste/Fortezza station is not served. (Exception: see question 21).
Bus line 411. During the rush hours, in the morning, at noon and in the evening (Monday to Friday, working days), you can take the 411 bus, which connects the Franzensfeste/Fortezza station with the Mühlbach/Rio di Pusteria stop in the centre. This line has connections with the 401 line and the Brenner/Brennero railway.
When the Riggertal/Val di Riga route is opened, the transfer between the Pusteria/Pustertal railway and the Brenner/Brennero railway will take place at Brixen/Bressanone station, and this timetable scenario is already included in the replacement service.
The Pustertal/Val Pusteria-Brixen/Bressanone-Bozen/Bolzano route is one of the main arteries for travellers. The B400 replacement service has been designed with the importance of this route in mind, optimising journey times and connections. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide the same level of service in all directions and the total journey time will be half an hour longer, especially for passengers travelling from Pustertal/Val Pusteria to Wipptal/Alta Valle Isarco, due to the longer transfer times and journey times. With the opening of the new railway connection, the longer journey time can be reduced by about 15 minutes.
For operational and logistical reasons, there will be no additional runs of the B400 replacement service to Franzensfeste/Fortezza station. Such a measure would require significantly more vehicles and drivers, and would result in passengers being shunted, increased communication difficulties and a reduction in the quality of the replacement service.
As an alternative, the 411 bus line can be used during the morning, midday, and evening rush hours (Monday to Friday, weekdays). The 411 bus connects the Franzensfeste/Fortezza station with the Mühlbach/Rio di Pusteria bus stop in the centre. This line also connects with the 401 line and the Brenner/Brennero railway.
This additional service is particularly important for commuters and schoolchildren travelling in the Wipptal/Alta Valle Isarco and Pustertal/Val Pusteria areas, as it reduces journey times by 15 minutes per journey.
411 bus timetable (from 15.12.2024) .
Yes, in addition to the services every half hour there are additional services on school days.
The timetables are available online, not on the printed timetables.
The departures have been adapted to the needs of most secondary and vocational schools in Bruneck/Brunico.
Yes, on school days there is an extra bus service (B400) from Franzensfeste/Fortezza station to facilitate the transport of students to Bruneck/Brunico.
Details are given below:
| Regional express train RV3463 |
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| Replacement bus B400: |
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In case of delay of the regional express train, the departure time of the replacement bus from Franzensfeste/Fortezza will be delayed by a maximum of 10 minutes, with departure at 7:01.
All passengers are welcome to use this additional service, which only operates on school days.
At the ticket machines in Brixen/Bressanone and Bruneck/Brunico railway stations, at the Trenitalia ticket offices and at the südtirolmobil Infopoints. It is also possible to buy different types of tickets with the mobile ticketing of the südtirolmobil app.
In order to be on time for the replacement service, it is advisable to buy the ticket before the start of the journey. If necessary, you can buy the ticket on board the bus.
Holders of the Südtirol Pass, abo+, 65+, Mobilcard and Südtirol Guest Pass can validate their tickets on the bus or at the railway station.
If you are travelling with a Südtirol Pass or one of its variants, you must enter the destination code on the validating machine at the station and validate the entire selected route.
The following destination codes must be entered when validating the journey if you are getting off at one of the following stops served by the replacement bus:
| Destination codes | Replacement bus stops |
| 16 | Brixen/Bressanone, Brixen/Bressanone Station |
| 16 | Brixen/Bressanone, Bus terminal |
| 35 | Mühlbach/Rio di Pusteria, Centre |
| 22 | Vintl/Vandoies, Vintl/Vandoies Station |
| 23 | Kiens/Chienes, Centre |
| 23 | Bivio Casteldarne/Abzweigung Ehrenburg |
| 55 | St. Lorenzen/S. Lorenzo, St. Lorenzen/S. Lorenzo Station |
| 24 | Brunico/Bruneck, Bruneck/Brunico station |
No, bicycles cannot be carried on the B400 replacement bus due to limited space and high passenger numbers. Due to the limited availability of vehicles and the priority to carry as many passengers as possible, bicycles cannot be carried on replacement buses.
Folding bicycles and e-scooters when folded are considered luggage. They can therefore be transported and stored in the luggage compartments.
Yes, in case of special travel needs, it is possible to request assistance on the replacement buses for the entire route from Sale Blu and to book the service at least 24 hours before departure.
Please arrive at the station or stop of the replacement bus in good time before departure.
Reservation
Monday to Sunday from 6.45 a.m. to 9.30 p.m.:
- By calling the RFI operator on 800 90 60 60 (from a landline) or 02 32 32 32 (from a mobile)
- Or by e-mailing salablu.verona@rfi.it
Reservations in Italian, English, or German can only be made by e-mail. Alternatively, reservations can be made using the SalaBlu+ app. For more information see Sale Blu.
For the Brixen/Bressanone-Bruneck/Brunico line only, you can request assistance directly from the operator at least 24 hours before departure:
- By telephone on +39 0472 977250
- By e-mail at info@pizzinini.it
The replacement buses have a low floor to allow different user groups to enter and leave the bus. Separate transport with different vehicles is only organised in specific cases.
Yes, groups of more than 20 people must book at least 2 weeks in advance by emailing info@pizzinini.it with the following information:
- Number of travellers
- Stop and departure time
- Stop and arrival time
The transport company will assess the feasibility of the request and, if necessary, increase capacity or make alternative suggestions.
Please note that it is not possible to meet requests during peak seasons and times, and unpredictable increases in demand may occur at any time. Group bookings give everyone a better chance of planning, but there is no guarantee of transport.
Despite extensive preparations, some improvements will be necessary, especially in the early stages, and we need your help.
Please inform us immediately of any shortcomings, such as overcrowding, inadequate passenger information, lack of signage, etc.
Suggestions and reports can be sent to contact@suedtirolmobil.info.
In January 2025 there will also be a first online survey to determine user satisfaction, which will be repeated at regular intervals. Subscribe to the push notifications from südtirolmobil for railway line 400 and support us with your participation.
If you have not found an answer to your question in the FAQ, you can contact the südtirolmobil Service Desk:
- E-mail: contact@altoadigemobilita.info
- Telephone: +39 0471 220880 - Dial 1 (Monday-Saturday 6 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Sunday and holidays 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m)