Visit to Wiener Linien U2/U5 Project

A delegation of 20 members and guests of the CdH gathered at the Wiener Linien project office for the U2 / U5 cross-over section of the U2/U5 development project at Rathausplatz 9 in Vienna.

Here they were greeted by Dipl. Ing. Konstanze Altenburger of Wiener Linien. The first part of the programme was a presentation of the project, explaining the layout of the new arrangement of the two lines and many engineering aspects of the new construction.

The U2, travelling from Seestadt, is currently terminating (reversing) at Schottentor while the stretch from Rathaus to Karlsplatz is being upgraded and the station platforms fitted out with platform edge doors. This is being done so that that stretch can constitute part of the future U5 line in the final configuration and will be under fully automatic operation. But for an interim stage of the project, U2 trains will run again from Schottentor to Karlsplatz until the new U5 tunnel from 

Rathaus to Frankplatz is complete and U5 trains will then run, fully automatically, from Karlsplatz to Frankplatz. Later, when the new U2 tunnel from Rathaus to Matzleinsdorfer Platz is complete, U2 trains will then branch off at Rathaus and run to Matzleinsdorfer Platz. Both lines will be extended further in the more distant future to Hernals (U5) and Wienerberg (U2).

Most of the new U2 line to Matzleinsdorfer Platz will be excavated by a tunnel boring machine where the substrate material is suitable for such a machine, but much of the excavation of the more central sections of the project will be carried out using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The latter method is used where there is a higher probability of settlement taking place which must be closely monitored and minimized under sensitive surface structures – of which there are many in the central city.

 After the presentation, the CdH delegation was taken on a tour of some key parts of the construction site around the Rathaus area.  We were shown a trial installation of platform edge doors in part of the Rathaus station location and then we were taken down into the excavation at the future crossover of the two lines and where much of the excavation spoil from that part of the project was being removed.

 This project is currently the largest infrastructure project being undertaken in Vienna. When complete this new U2/U5 expansion of the Vienna metro system will provide capacity for 300 million additional passengers per year.