Austrians started modernisation of the line to Breclav, 18 railroad crossings will disappear
The construction begins with the modernisation of Süßenbrunn Station and the construction of an underpass on the L6 in Deutsch-Wagram.
On the north-eastern outskirts of Vienna, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) started a major modernisation of the corridor towards the Czech Republic. The ca 70-kilometer-long line from Vienna to Breclav (Nordbahn) will be rebuilt over eight years and is expected to be faster and safer after the modernisation.
The line is to receive a new superstructure and substructure, overhead lines, signaling system, and all stations will be rebuilt to be wheelchair-accessible. All level crossings (18 in total) are to disappear, and speed is to increase from the current 140 km/h up to 200 km/h near the border with the Czech Republic.
“The modernisation will improve regional traffic and is also Austria’s contribution to faster connections to Prague and Berlin,” said ÖBB-Infrastruktur. It said the construction is part of a plan to reduce the journey time between Prague and Vienna to 3 hours and 45 minutes, which is about an hour less than today (via Vindobona). A number of P+R car parks will be built around the Nordbahn.
The works are divided into two parts: the southern part between the Vienna Süßenbrunn junction and Gänserndorf and the northern part from Gänserndorf to the state border. The construction will start with the modernisation of Süßenbrunn station and the construction of an underpass on the L6 road in Deutsch-Wagram. The Vienna Süßenbrunn station is due to be completed by the end of this year and the underpass by May 2023.
Train traffic will be affected particularly by the upcoming work in Deutsch-Wagram. Some trains on the S1 line between Floridsdorf and Gänserndorf will be canceled between February 5–22, 2022, while others will be detoured. ÖBB has not mentioned any restrictions on long-distance trains so far.