In the future, the Vienna U5 will be driverless on the road: this is made possible by protective doors so that people and objects do not fall onto the track.
It will take some time before the fully automatic line U5 is on course. In 2026, the route between Karlsplatz and Rathaus will be ready for driverless use. The conditions for this are a total of 144 platform screen doors and 16,000 square meters of glass surfaces in the stations Karlsplatz, Museumsquartier, Volkstheater and Rathaus.
The first two of a total of 36 automatic doors have now been installed in the Volkstheater station. The platform edges had to be reinforced beforehand, as there is an additional load of 40 tons on either side of the platform.
“With the installation of the first platform screen doors, we are one step closer to the future of the Vienna metro. The fully automatic operation of public transport will mean even more comfort and safety for travelers in the future,” says public transport councilor Peter Hanke (SPÖ).
The railway area between Karlsplatz and City Hall is separated from the platform by the doors when the U2 starts running in this section. This means that from 2026 no objects will be able to get on the tracks, not even with the fully automatic operation of the U5. When entering and stopping, passengers can open the platform screen doors directly in front of the platform screen doors by pressing a button to board the train.
Before a platform screen door is raised, it is carefully checked: as part of a test, each door must pass through 10,000 test openings. In comparison: in passenger service, a door opens and closes on average up to 100,000 times a year.
This is how the expansion of the metro continues
Tunnel work started in May at Matzleinsdorfer Platz and work in the town hall/Schottentor area started in June.
When the tunnels in the U2 area are ready, the next milestone begins: working with the shield tunnel machine, the so-called mole.
From probably 2024, the tunnel boring machine will dig the first tunnel from Matzleinsdorfer Platz to Augustinplatz in the 7th district. Completion of the new southern branch from U2 to Matzleinsdorfer Platz is scheduled for 2028. In addition to price increases, there are currently also supply bottlenecks for building materials. “We are also not immune to delays, so it is not yet possible to determine an exact end time, but I would prefer the metro to run safely rather than earlier,” said Günter Steinbauer, director of Wiener Linien.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
