ÖBB Annual Report 2023

33 For a reliable future on the Semmering Tunnel: on the Steiermark side, where we were able to celebrate the breakthrough last autumn, and currently approx. 97 percent of the entire tunnel section has been excavated. WALDNER: The Brenner Pass is probably our most complex tunnelling project. Firstly, this construction project involves Austria and Italy, two countries with very different standards and specifications in railway technology and construction project management. And secondly, this is where the longest underground railway link in the world is being built. We are already talking about a “megaproject” in the truest sense of the word while at the same time making good progress with our partners in Italy and the EU. As things stand today, we will be able to put the Brenner Base Tunnel into operation as planned in 2032. And how do things appear outside the major projects? The expansion and improvements to the branch lines are important measures to get even more people on the train and off the road. MATTHÄ: You are completely right there. This is why the current ÖBB framework plan, which is valid until 2029, also has two main priorities. This includes, of course, the expansion of secondary and regional lines and the expansion of local transport in and around urban centres. Over the next few years, we will be investing over two billion euros in route upgrades, the modernisation of stations and stops throughout Austria and in modern customer information systems. At a press conference in January, you presented the big picture for future expansion. Keyword: Target network 2040. Please provide a brief outline. MATTHÄ: The 2040 target network could be described as the centrepiece of economically and climate-friendly mobility in Austria. After all, in order to cope with the forecast growth in traffic and at the same time achieve our climate targets, capacity will have to be massively expanded in the coming years. Only then will we be able to counteract bottlenecks in the key mobility segments. You have also spoken about travelling from Vienna to Munich in 2 hours 30 minutes in the same way. How is that supposed to work? Will the train then really be able to compete with the aeroplane in practical terms? MATTHÄ: That is correct. We have included a completely new project in the 2040 target network, the Innkreisbahn, which will reduce the journey time from Vienna to Munich to two and a half hours. This journey time means that many people would certainly prefer to travel from city centre to city centre by train instead of flying. Where we have an advantage over the aeroplane is that we are powered by energy from sustainable sources. We also have an ambitious program in this area, namely to massively increase the proportion of green traction current we generate ourselves. How is this project evolving? WALDNER: Over the past year, we have once again intensified our energy strategy. The new goal is to increase the proportion of traction current supplied by the company itself from the current 60 percent to 80 percent in the coming years. This increase in self-sufficiency is intended to make us more independent and at the same time relieve the domestic energy market and the energy grid. We will invest approx. 1.6 billion euros by 2030 to achieve this ambitious goal. A not inconsiderable part of the investment is being channelled into the digitalisation of the railway. What might this actually envisage and what is already on track? WALDNER: The digitalisation of all rail operations is essential for us if we want to achieve our capacity targets. The most > “We were able to celebrate the breakthrough of the Semmering Tunnel in autumn, and currently approx. 97 per­ cent of the entire tunnel section has been excavated.” ANDREAS MATTHÄ MANUELA WALDNER. “The Brenner is our most complex tunnel project. Two countries with different standards and specifications in railway technology and construction project management are involved”