ÖBB Annual Report 2023

79 Group Management Report Österreichische Bundesbahnen-Holding Aktiengesellschaft Consolidated Financial Statements | Group Management Report 34 The north benefits from the expansion of the northern railway. The newly constructed subway in Deutsch-Wagram on the L6 provincial road was opened to traffic in 2023. The associated railway crossing was abandoned. Since 2023, the stop in Helmahof, a district of Deutsch-Wagram, has also been shining in new splendour. The S-Bahn stop on the line between Vienna Süßenbrunn and Gänserndorf was renovated for this purpose. A total of approx. 66 km of track will be modernised during ongoing operations. In the course of this, 17 railway stations and stops along the route will also be made more attractive and adapted to make them barrier-free. The Park&Ride and Bike&Ride services are also to be expanded. In addition, numerous railway crossings will be eliminated, which will allow for higher train speeds. The electrification of the Marchegg Eastern Railway has been completed since the 2022 / 2023 timetable change. The modernisation of the Kamptalbahn, Traisentalbahn, Erlauftalbahn or Mattersburger Bahn was also prepared during the reporting period. Planning also began for the expansion of the Franz Josef railway. The first milestones were the modernised stations in Hadersdorf am Kamp, Langenlois and Horn, which went into operation with the timetable change in December 2023. This was the first step towards making the Kamptal railway more attractive, with more to follow. The “Airport Link“ project represents an attractive connection between eastern Austria and the airport and the city of Vienna. The new connection means shorter journey times for commuters and relieves congestion on the heavily used urban transit routes. In 2023, planning has further advanced. The Western Line success story continues About one third of all trains run on the western line. The growth of freight and passenger traffic is forecast to continue. The expansion between Linz and Wels and the expansion between Salzburg and Köstendorf is necessary to meet the high demand for more trains and better connections on these routes. In the reporting period, construction work continued on the expansion of the western line between Marchtrenk and Wels and on the western side of Linz’s main railway station. In future, four tracks instead of the present two will ensure higher capacities on the heavily used western line. This will then offer better local transport services with a denser S-Bahn service and a regular scheduled timetable between Linz and Wels. The same applies to long-distance and freight transport. The Marchtrenk station is being modernised. Construction preparations are underway for the expansion of the section between Linz and Marchtrenk. Construction is scheduled to start in 2024. Planning is underway for the extension of the section between Linz West shunting yard and Linz signal bridge (incl. Linz Franckviertel local transport hub). Construction of the Seekirchen Süd stop began in 2023. The four-track extension of the western line will run between Köstendorf and Salzburg in two single-tube tunnels. The EIA planning and in-depth planning continued in parallel in 2023 as a result. Regular, intensive discussions were also held with stakeholders (e.g. in the form of institutionalised dialogue forums). Southern Railway on the last stretch The tunnelling projects and line extensions are progressing step by step. The major construction projects on the southern line will make it possible for passengers to travel between Vienna and Graz in less than two hours and between Graz and Klagenfurt in 45 minutes. The tunnelling work on the Semmering Base Tunnel project of the century is on the home straight. More than 97% of the two 27.3 km long tubes have now been excavated. There are still approx. 600 metres to be completed. The tunnel is being built with a total of 14 drivages. Ten have already been completed, including all in the Fröschnitzgraben and the Grautschenhof section. Once the tunnel tubes have been excavated, the concrete inner shell in the tunnel will be completely finished. More than 25 kilometres of this shell have already been constructed (out of a total of approx. 55 kilometres in two tubes). Then the final phase of construction begins. The technical railway tunnel equipment is installed before the trains travel through the mountain. In this phase, tracks, cables and technical installations are built into the mountain. The first trains will travel through the Semmering Base Tunnel in 2030. Meanwhile, the 130 km long Koralm railway is already entering its final phase. In 2023, the entire Koralm Tunnel was equipped with rails and a large part of the route was fitted with railway technology. The new railway station in western Steiermarkt is also taking shape. Kärnten has gone even further: the entire Kärntner Koralm railway between Klagenfurt and St. Paul im Lavanttal will be completed and put into operation for local transport by the end of 2023. It is the largest partial commissioning on the new southern line to date and also marks the start of the sprint to the finish line for this project of the century. The complete commissioning between Graz and Klagenfurt – including the Koralm Tunnel – is planned for the end of 2025. MR34 |