The two tubes which will form the future Semmering Base Tunnel, a key infrastructure to improve connectivity between Graz and Vienna, in Austria, have been fully excavated. “The concrete inner shell will now be completed in the next few months and then the technical tunnel equipment can start”, Austrian railway holding ÖBB said.
Concerning the inner layer, 45 of the roughly 55 total kilometres of the tubes (27.3 kilometres each), have already been covered. Once this process is completed, the railway equipment will then be installed. The first trains are expected to start running in the new Semmering Base Tunnel in 2030.
The creation of the new Semmering Base Tunnel is part of ÖBB’s project to upgrade the so-called southern route (Südstrecke in German). This initiative aims at improving rail connectivity between Klagenfurt, Graz and Vienna for both passengers and freight. In the south, Austria is also working on upgrading the Tauern tunnel, an important rail freight artery between Mallnitz and Böckstein.