Ride again on the Western Railway: Renewals after floods completed

Ride again on the Western Railway: Renewals after floods completed

On October 10th, the western railway line through the Wienerwald was again released for two -track traffic. However, this reopening is only part of the positive news for the region, because from December 15th the new western route through the Tullnerfeld will come back into operation. This route had long been closed due to flood damage that is considered catastrophic. However, recovery takes time and there are still challenges to cope with.

The challenges Started with a flood that was classified as a "hundred -year event" and caused considerable damage to the railway line. The Atzenbrugger tunnel, which extends over 2.5 kilometers, was particularly hard. The tunnel was badly affected by the floods, which led to the complete destruction of the interior construction. According to the responsible engineer Andreas Matthä, all electrical facilities, emergency systems and ventilation systems must be reinstalled. As a result, the tunnel remains closed, although the rest of the western railway line can now be passed on.

repeated locks in view

Despite the announced reopening in December, a new challenge is already noticeable: According to Matthä, a new lock is required in the coming year. This lock affects technical provisions that were necessary for accelerated re -commissioning and must now be dismantled. The duration of this work is estimated to be about four weeks, and the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) are planning to block for May or summer 2025. An important factor here are the missing spare parts that are expected to arrive only in April.

In addition, Matthä pointed out that the original planning parameters of the western railway line have now been outdated. Planning from the past 30 to 40 years is no longer sufficient to meet the current extreme weather conditions that have increased in the region. It is necessary that ÖBB rethinks the previous plans to remain adaptable and avoid future damage.

The financial effects of the flood damage are significant. The estimated costs for the required repairs amount to around 100 million euros. Not only the infrastructure suffers from the consequences; The loss due to the restricted goods and passenger transport is not yet precisely quantified. This Situation illustrates the need to adapt the rail connections in the region and to modernize the infrastructure accordingly.

for more information on developments in the region:

The topic of floods and the resulting effects on train traffic remain a central challenge. The fact that more trains will be in use from December shows that progress is made, but the damage to the billions must also not be underestimated. www.meinbezirk.at .