The tunnel forms part of Austria's new southern railway, which will serve as the central axis for trans-European routes from the Baltic coast to the Adriatic. The 27.3km SBT will link the country's Lower Austria and Steiermark regions.
The consortium of Implenia, which will take the technical lead, and Swietelsky, will build the 13km-long middle section. The two partners each have a 50% stake in the consortium. This section will be built using both TBM drilling (8.6km) and mining methods (4.3km). It involves 26 cross-passages, an emergency-stop station and two 400m ventilation shafts to supply the entire construction site.
One of the main challenges in this major project is dealing with the geological conditions in the drilling zone. Added to this is the need to supply the construction sites with building materials and take away excavated matter. Implenia’s previous projects include the new rail link through the Alps, where it took the technical lead on three of the five lots. Two of the five sections were handed over on schedule to the client in September 2013 after approximately 12 years of construction.
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