Vienna, 18 December 2020---A consortium of Austria’s two largest construction companies, STRABAG and PORR, has won the tender for the first phase of the largest connected construction project of Wiener Linien, the Vienna public transport provider. A total of 7 km of tunnel will be driven and four new stations built as part of the redirection of the U2 line. The contract value for the consortium – in which each party has 50% – is around half a billion €. Construction is set to begin in February 2021 and will run until mid-2028.

„Construction work in the inner-city is always a challenge in light of the cramped conditions. Drilling beside the facades of the nearby buildings requires a great deal of expertise and transport to and from the sites through the narrow alleyways surrounding Neubaugasse is exceptionally complex in terms of logistics”, says Thomas Birtel, CEO of STRABAG SE.

Significant upgrade to public transport coverage
The expansion of the inner-city metro network network is a huge milestone in Vienna’s urban development. Enhanced performance, direct links for travellers, and significant benefits for the environment all characterise the Wiener Linien’s most important future-focused project.

„This key infrastructure project definitively closes the gaps in the inner-city metro network for Vienna. With our decades of experience and exceptional technology knowhow in underground railway construction, we will play a key role in sustainably improving Vienna’s public transport infrastructure”, says Karl-Heinz Strauss, CEO of PORR.

Under the metro expansion, the U2 line between Karlsplatz and Rathaus will become part of the U5, while the U2 will branch down towards the south of the city. The contract is part of the first construction phase of the U2/U5 line expansion in the Austrian capital. This includes the phases U2/17-21 (U2/17 driven by TBM, U2/18 Matzleinsdorferplatz station, U2/19 Reinprechtsdorfer Straße station, U2/20 Pilgramgasse station and U2/21 Neubaugasse station).

Tunnelling team to work around the clock
The demanding construction of the two tunnels in the inner-city area will require the tunnelling team to work around the clock in shifts. Around 4 km will be driven by a tunnel boring machine (TBM), while another 3 km will be bored using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). All of the works such as tunnelling, structural engineering, ground engineering and railway construction will be rendered autonomously by the consortium.

The stations are being built using the cut-and-cover method of construction, with the station shafts up to 40 m wide and 50 m long. This means that the excavation for the stations, which lie at a depth of up to 40 m, must first be secured by means of drilled piles and internal steel stiffeners and then worked downwards floor by floor. The station shafts themselves are also the central hub for the delivery and removal of the material.

STRABAG SE is a European-based technology partner for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our services span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by our specialised entities integrating the most diverse services and assuming responsibility for them. We bring together people, materials and machinery at the right place and at the right time in order to realise even complex construction projects – on schedule, of the highest quality and at the best price. The hard work and dedication of our more than 75,000 employees allow us to generate an annual output volume of around € 16 billion. At the same time, a dense network of numerous subsidiaries in many European countries and on other continents is helping to expand our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. More information is available at www.strabag.com

About the PORR Group
Driving innovation for excellence –that’s what PORR has done for over 150 years. With around 20,000 employees and production output of approximately EUR 5.6 bn (as of 31.12.2019), it is one of the largest construction companies in Austria and among Europe’s leading providers in the sector. As a full-service provider, PORR offers every service in building construction, civil engineering and infrastructure construction, covering the entire value chain. PORR focuses on its home markets Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. On selected international project markets such as in Norway, the UAE and Qatar, PORR concentrates on export products in tunnelling, railway construction and civil engineering. The PORR share is listed on the prime market of Vienna Stock Exchange. Find out more at porr-group.com.