Historical milestone in the construction of the Semmering base tunnel: both tubes, which are over 27 kilometers long, have now been dug. The final breakthrough came on Friday morning.
Ten years after construction began, tunneling work in the Semmering Base Tunnel has been completed. Both 27.3 kilometer long pipes have now been dug from Gloggnitz in Lower Austria to Mürzzuschlag in Styria. Now that the concrete inner shell of the project of the century has been completed, the technical tunnel equipment can begin.
“I would like to congratulate everyone involved in the construction on this historic day, especially the miners. After ten years of tunneling, the last meter has been completed and an important milestone has been reached,” said Anreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB. However, it will take some time before the first trains can drive through the tunnel. Commissioning is not planned until 2030. You can take the train from Vienna to Graz in less than two hours.
“Faster alternative to cars”
Installation of the tunnel equipment is expected to begin in the summer of 2025. Minister of Infrastructure Leonore Gewessler (Greens) is also satisfied with the progress of construction: “With the Semmering base tunnel we will experience a huge increase in travel time on the rail on the way to and through Styria. The train will therefore also become an even faster, affordable and sustainable alternative to the car on this route.”
Source: Krone
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