Block on "New" Westbahn Route Soon Over

The connection has been closed again since May 12 and will remain so until June 5. The schedule will be adhered to, assured Judith Engel, board member of ÖBB-Infrastruktur, during a local inspection on Thursday. Work is being done 24/7.

The program included a construction site inspection in the Atzenbrugger Tunnel, including the setup of mobile flood protection at the east side tunnel portal. The last elements were installed together with the volunteer fire brigade. The protective structure is one and a half meters high and can be set up within two hours. From the east, the water literally "shot" into the Atzenbrugger Tunnel last autumn, explained David Scheiblauer from ÖBB.

Progress of work "very good"

The renewed closure of "one of the main arteries in the system" will be kept as short as possible for the benefit of passengers, emphasized Engel. She described the progress of the work as "very good". With the reopening of the route through the Tullnerfeld next Friday, June 6, the storm disaster from last September will be "finally concluded," said the board member. After that, the final accounting will be prepared. According to Engel, the total damage for ÖBB will likely be "just under 100 million euros".

There is "still a lot to do," emphasized the board member on Thursday. For example, temporary solutions are being converted into permanent facilities and water-sensitive elements are being elevated. Work is being done not only in the Atzenbrugger and Lainzer tunnels and at Tullnerfeld station, but also in the Hadersdorf switch hall, the intersection of the "new" and "old" Westbahn routes. Reference was also made to the renewal of tracks and track substructure, for example in the Perschling area. In the Atzenbrugger Tunnel alone, 26 kilometers of cable have been renewed. Before the final reopening of the route with peak speeds of 230 km/h, test train runs will take place starting next week.

Numerous people at tunnel exercise

State fire brigade commander Dietmar Fahrafellner recalled the flood "hotspot Tullnerfeld" on Thursday. The current closure for the final repair works was also used by the emergency services for a tunnel exercise with 250 helpers. Alarm plans were tested. Fahrafellner sees the fire brigades as prepared for an emergency, which hopefully will not occur again.

After the flood of the century, ÖBB provided a "Christmas miracle". The connection through the Tullnerfeld was reopened on December 15, 2024, after a three-month closure. This was made possible because spare parts warehouses throughout Austria were emptied and - while adhering to safety standards - some temporary solutions were installed, which are now being replaced by new components.

Traffic in the section Vienna - St. Pölten will run via the "old" connection through the Vienna Woods until and including next Thursday. "Without problems," as emphasized by ÖBB on Thursday. Due to the detour, travel time to and from the west is extended by about 30 minutes. Passengers have also adapted well to the rail replacement service with buses in local traffic, according to the federal railways.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.