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Press release

PORR and STRABAG begin work on metro expansion in Vienna

Vienna, 18. December 2020 – A consortium of Austria’s two largest construction companies has won the tender for the first phase of the largest connected construction project of Wiener Linien, the Vienna public transport provider. A total of seven kilometres of tunnel will be driven and four new stations built as part of the redirection of the U2 line. The contract value for the consortium – in which each party has 50% – is around half a billion euros. Construction is set to begin in February 2021 and will run until the middle of the year 2028.

“This key infrastructure project definitively closes the gaps in the inner-city metro network for Vienna. With our decades of experience and exceptional technology knowhow in underground railway construction, we will play a key role in sustainably improving Vienna’s public transport infrastructure”, said Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of PORR.

Significant upgrade to public transport coverage

The expansion of the inner-city underground railway network is a huge milestone in Vienna’s urban development. Enhanced performance, direct links for travellers, and significant benefits for the environment all characterise the Wiener Linien’s most important future-focused project. Under the metro expansion, the U2 line between Karlsplatz and Rathaus will become part of the U5, while the U2 will branch down towards the south of the city. The contract is part of the first construction phase of the U2/U5 line expansion in the Austrian capital. This includes the phases U2/17-21 (U2/17 driven by TBM, U2/18 Matzleinsdorferplatz station, U2/19 Reinprechtsdorfer Straße station, U2/20 Pilgramgasse station and U2/21 Neubaugasse station).

Seven kilometres of tunnelling through densely populated residential areas

“Construction work in the inner-city is always a challenge in light of the cramped conditions. Drilling beside the facades of the nearby buildings requires a great deal of expertise and transport to and from the sites through the narrow alleyways surrounding Neubaugasse is exceptionally complex in terms of logistics”, said Thomas Birtel, Chairman of STRABAG SE.

The demanding construction of the two tunnels in the inner-city area will require the tunnelling team to work around the clock in shifts. Around 4 km will be driven by a tunnel boring machine (TBM), while another 3 km will be bored using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). All of the works such as tunnelling, structural engineering, specialist civil engineering and railway construction will be rendered autonomously by the consortium.

Facts and figures at a glance

Type of project: Specialist civil engineering, tunnelling, railway construction
Scope of services:                 New construction of the underground railway with a route length of approx. 3 km, of which around 4.2 km to be driven by TBM and 2.2 km with NATM; 4 station structures and 3 emergency exits with ventilation shafts; track construction; various shell strengthening works
Client: Wiener Linien GmbH & Co KG
Contractor: Consortium of PORR Bau GmbH and STRABAG AG (50/50)
Service period: February 2021 to May 2028
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Melanie Manner Press spokeswoman