"The entire tunnel is thus connected from Gloggnitz to Mürzzuschlag," reported the ÖBB in a press release. The start of construction for the tunnel equipment is scheduled for the summer of 2025.

ÖBB: Important Milestone Reached in Construction of Semmering Base Tunnel

About ten years after the start in Fröschnitzgraben, "the last meter of the tunnel has been completed and thus the advance is completely finished". Both 27.3 kilometer long tubes have been dug from Gloggnitz in Lower Austria to Mürzzuschlag in Styria. In the coming months, the concrete inner shell of the century project will be completed, according to the ÖBB, then the technical tunnel equipment can start. "An important milestone has been reached," emphasized ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä. "But there is also a lot of work ahead of us until our passengers can comfortably travel from Vienna to Graz in less than two hours in 2030. The Semmering Base Tunnel is a sustainable investment for the future of rail traffic."

Semmering Base Tunnel Brings Massive Time Savings

The project will bring a massive travel time gain on the rail on the way in and through Styria, said Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The train will thus also become an "even faster, affordable and sustainable alternative to the car" on this route. According to the press release, ÖBB Infrastructure AG is currently working on more than 100 large and small projects along the southern route, part of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor. 200 kilometers of railway line are being modernized, 170 kilometers newly built. 80 kilometers of new tunnels and 150 new bridges are being built. Just on Thursday, the completion of the 130 kilometer long Koralmbahn between Graz and Klagenfurt was celebrated after 26 years. After completion of the projects, Vienna and the Carinthian state capital should be connected by rail in 2 hours and 40 minutes. The travel time from Graz to Klagenfurt will be 45 minutes.

(APA/Red)

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