Vienna cheers: U2 celebrates grandiose reopening after 3.5 years!

Vienna cheers: U2 celebrates grandiose reopening after 3.5 years!

The joy in Vienna is limitless: On December 6, 2024, the U2 subway line started operating again after more than three and a half years. At 5:01 a.m. the first train rolled from Karlsplatz towards Seestadt and officially opened the modernized route, which has been closed since May 31, 2021. The Viennese publications celebrated this as "the comeback of the year" and now expect around 180,000 passengers every day. "I thought I was no longer experiencing it," said an enthusiastic pensioner for reopening, while tourists praised the reliability of the Viennese transport bonds, as the Krone

new technology and extensive modernization

The entire route between Schottentor and Karlsplatz was not only reopened, but also extensively modernized. There are now innovative platform doors in the Rathaus, Volkstheater, Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz, a premiere in the Viennese subway network. 200 new platforms modules were installed and a total of 4.8 kilometers of rails were renewed. Particular attention is paid to the automation, since the U5 will be connected to the U2 from 2026. The extensive work, which also concerned lifts and escalators, are part of a long -term project, the final phase of which is supposed to continue until 2030, as OTS

The costs for the entire modernization amount to around 65 million euros, and despite numerous technical difficulties that had delayed the opening, the mood among passengers was overwhelming. "Public users can look forward to a continuously modernized U2," said Financial City Councilor Peter Hanke and emphasized the importance of the project for the Viennese transport infrastructure.