Vienna’s S-Bahn enters a major new construction phase and Austria’s social assistance reform moves into negotiations, plus more stories from Austria on Monday.
Vienna S-Bahn enters new phase as northern routes reopen
Vienna’s S-Bahn network enters an important transition on Monday. Trains will again run between Praterstern and Floridsdorf, with the northern branches towards Jedlersdorf, Gerasdorf and Süßenbrunn also reopening as planned.
From Monday, the much longer closure of the central Stammstrecke between Hauptbahnhof/St. Marx and Praterstern begins. S7 airport trains will start and end at St. Marx instead of serving Rennweg and Wien Mitte, while diverted REX7 trains provide an alternative connection between Hauptbahnhof and Vienna Airport. The CAT will operate replacement buses between Wien Mitte and the airport, with up to 5 services per hour in each direction.
The S80 also changes from Monday. It will connect southwards as an S3 to Wiener Neustadt, while replacement buses between Hütteldorf and Meidling are scheduled every 15 minutes on weekdays from around 5:30 am to 8 pm.
READ ALSO: Which train tickets can you use on Vienna public transport during the S-Bahn closure?
Austria completes draft of nationwide social assistance reform
Austria’s Social Ministry has completed a draft reform of the country’s Sozialhilfe system and sent it to the ÖVP, NEOS and the provinces for further negotiations, according to ORF.
Social Minister Korinna Schumann says the draft addresses greater harmonisation between the provinces, child poverty, an integration phase, more in-kind support, and stronger links to the labour market. The government is still aiming for the reform to take effect on January 1st 2027.
The draft has not yet been made public and no final agreement has been reached. The precise rules, including how the reform may affect different groups receiving social assistance, remain undecided.
READ ALSO: ‘Work, learn German, integrate’: Austria to tighten welfare system for foreigners
Foreign citizens made up 21 percent of Austrian pupils in latest data
In the 2024/25 school year, around 21 percent of pupils in Austria held a citizenship other than Austrian, compared with roughly 9 percent in 2006/07, according to Der Standard.
That corresponds to about 238,500 pupils out of a total of around 1.14 million. The proportion varies sharply around the country, from 13.7 percent in Lower Austria to 38.1 percent in Vienna. Foreign citizenship does not necessarily mean a child was born abroad. Among young people with Turkish citizenship, for example, 85 percent were born in Austria.
The new ÖIF factsheet also looks at pupils’ Umgangssprache. Nationwide, 26 percent have a non-German language recorded as their primary everyday language, down slightly from a peak of 27 percent in 2021. The data records only the first language given during school enrolment, meaning multilingual children are counted under only one language.
READ ALSO: How well are foreign school pupils integrating into Austrian schools?
Muslim organisations criticise minister over possible IGGÖ ban
Austria’s 10 Islamic religious communities under the Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft in Österreich, or IGGÖ, have criticised Integration Minister Claudia Bauer after she suggested that a proposed ban on “political Islam” could affect the organisation, ORF reported.
The groups rejected what they called sweeping suspicions and said that allegations of radicalisation should be supported by concrete, verifiable cases. They stressed their commitment to fighting extremism and said their organisations, covering more than 300 mosques across Austria, have worked with state authorities on prevention and imam training.
Bauer later stepped back from her earlier comments in an Ö1 interview, saying: “A ban on the IGGÖ is not on the table.” The ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS are still discussing possible measures against political Islam. Both coalition partners have urged caution over action involving a legally recognised religious community.
READ ALSO: What is Austria’s ‘Islam Map’ and why is it controversial?
Worth reading
September can be a good time to explore Austria after the main summer holiday period. Our story to why September is a great month to visit Austria looks at quieter tourist hotspots, the start of the grape harvest and wine events in regions including the Wachau, Kamptal and Burgenland.
Members can read the full story, along with The Local Austria’s other in-depth guides, explainers and practical stories about travelling and living in Austria.
READ ALSO: What’s on: The best events in Austria in September 2026
What’s happening in Austria today
The new school year begins on Monday in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. Pupils in the other six provinces remain on summer holiday until September 13th.
The nationwide “50 Tage Bewegung” campaign also starts on Monday and runs until October 26th, with more than 1,200 free opportunities for physical activity advertised around Austria.
Monday should begin sunny across much of Austria. Showers and thunderstorms become more likely later in western and southern areas, while eastern and south-eastern regions are expected to stay drier.
READ ALSO: When are Austria’s school holidays in 2026/27?
Coming up later on The Local
Later today, we’ll look at Google’s planned data centre campus in Kronstorf, including the jobs it could create and questions about electricity demand, cooling water and the wider impact on Upper Austria.
READ ALSO: REVEALED: Austria’s most in-demand jobs in 2026
Vocabulary
die Stammstrecke – main trunk railway line
die Sozialhilfe – social assistance
die Staatsbürgerschaft – citizenship
die Umgangssprache – language used in everyday life
die Glaubensgemeinschaft – religious community
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, you can contact us at news@thelocal.at or leave a comment below.