Implenia, HOCHTIEF and Thyssen JV to build Gloggnitz Tunnel
25 June 2015ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG has jointly awarded Hochtief Infrastructure Austria, Implenia Austria and Thyssen Schachtbau the contract to build the Gloggnitz Tunnel, Hochtief announced on Friday, June 12. The total contract volume for the "SBT 1.1 Tunnel Gloggnitz" joint venture (JV) is some EUR 457M (USD 511M). Hochtief’s share is worth around EUR 183M (USD 204.6M), representing a 40 per cent stake in the JV.
The future east portal of the Semmering Basis Tunnel (SBT) is situated on the edge of the city of Gloggnitz in southern Lower Austria. The SBT 1.1 Tunnel Gloggnitz contract section is around 7.4km in length and will be driven from two sides - both from Gloggnitz and via the intermediate access in Göstritz - using NATM. The JV will build two parallel, single-track tunnel tubes with 16 crosscuts at maximum intervals of 500m.
Owing to the challenging geology and to ensure optimal logistics, an around 1,000m access tunnel will firstly be driven into the mountain during the course of construction work, to secure smooth construction logistics. Furthermore, two shafts going to a depth of some 260m with the caverns required for construction operations will be created at the end of the tunnel. Completion of the Gloggnitz Tunnel is scheduled for 2024.
"We are delighted that we can now deploy our practical expertise in tunnel construction on a second major and very important rail infrastructure project in Austria," says Nikolaus Graf von Matuschka, CEO of Hochtief Solutions.
The Semmering Basis Tunnel is one of the most important major infrastructure projects in the heart of Europe. The 27.3km, twin-tube rail tunnel between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag represents an effective investment in the rail infrastructure of both Austria and Europe. It is located on one of Europe's most important traffic corridors - the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor - which runs from Gdansk (Poland) to Ravenna (Italy) and connects important economic areas and ports between the Baltic and the Adriatic. At present the mountain section across the Semmering is a bottleneck on this trans-European rail route, and this will be remedied by the Semmering Basis Tunnel. Together with other projects such as the Koralmbahn, in whose construction HOCHTIEF is also involved in Austria, the Semmering Basis Tunnel will provide a future-oriented, high performance link on the new Austrian southern route. Commissioning is planned for 2026.
