Tunnelling starts on Vienna’s new metro line

A consortium of Austria’s two largest construction companies, Porr and Strabag, launched the first tunnelling works on the project at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. It marked the start of the largest single construction lot in the history of Vienna’s underground railway network.

Both of the 4km-long tunnel drives are being built with the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

Parallel to the tunnelling crew, the foundation engineering and structural engineering teams are working on expanding the shafts along the metro line so tunnelling can progress without interruption.

This summer work will also begin on the other end of the new U2 tunnels in the Rathaus section.

Once the tunnels in the vicinity of the new U2 stations are completed, a TBM will dig the first sectional tunnel from Matzleinsdorfer Platz to Augustinplatz in the 7th district. It is expected to be launched in 2024.

“We are applying our cumulative know-how in metro construction,” said Porr CEO Karl-Heinz Strauss. “This project not only promotes sustainability after completion, we are protecting the environment even during the build phase. For example, we are using a tunnel boring machine powered by electricity for all five construction lots and we have significantly reduced traffic pollution.”

Strabag CEO Thomas Birtel said the challenges made the “complex urban project” stand out.

“It is not only the City of Vienna’s biggest climate-protection project, but also a team effort by three different construction disciplines. Together we are creating infrastructure that will leave a lasting mark on the city for decades to come,” he said.