Süd-Tiroler Freiheit and FPÖ-Tirol invited representatives of the municipality of Nauders and the population of Reschen to an information event about the railway. Citizens, tourism experts and community representatives have clearly expressed their desire for a rail connection through Reschen. The Provincial Councilor, Sven Knoll, first illustrated the historical developments linked to the construction of the railway and presented the results of the research work carried out in recent years. It was shown that numerous works (tunnels, underpasses and bridges) had already been built between Landeck and Tösens, some of which still exist today and could be used for the new project. The latest routes between Reschen and Mals were also presented.
FPÖ-Tirol County Councilor Gudrun Kofler explained the cross-border importance of the railway for the entire region between Landeck and Mals and showed how ski areas along the route could be connected directly to the railway. To involve the population in the project, a cross-border referendum was held in Reschen from 30 August to 5 September 2023. All citizens of the municipalities of Nauders and Graun (Nauders, Reschen, Graun, Langtaufers and St. Valentin auf der Haide) were able to vote whether they were in favor of building a rail connection from Landeck to Mals via Reschen. The interest was very great. More than 1,000 citizens took part in the vote. 83% are in favor of building the railway.
The “Initiativgruppe Reschenbahn 2.0” was also invited and presented the detailed preparatory work for the route to interested citizens. From Nauders to Schuls a connection would be possible which would allow Reschen to connect to all major transport links. In the subsequent debate, the representatives of the municipalities of Nauders informed the population that the municipalities also fully support the project. All municipalities voted unanimously in favor.
Gudrun Kofler and Sven Knoll thanked all the participants for their great interest and have already announced the next steps towards the realization of the project. Together and with the involvement of the population and municipalities involved it is now important to put pressure on the Provincial Councils of Northern and Südtirol because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the whole of Tyrol.
