📋 Tender Overview
Viennas mobility city councilor Ulli Sima calls the Federal Administrative Courts decision in favor of the connecting railway, which was announced today, overdue. After three years of legal treatment of the EIA decision and a total of 10 years of proceedings, the connecting railway between Hutteldorf and Meidling, which is so important for Vienna, is finally on track. The project was unanimously approved by the Vienna City Council in 2016 as part of the first rail infrastructure package. The connecting railway is a central prerequisite for the 2-line S-Bahn ring of the S45 and S80.
We have been fighting for many years for the connecting railway to strengthen the direct connection from the western districts to the main station and beyond. In addition, the connecting railway is also an important part of a 2-line S-Bahn ring for Vienna. It is absolutely unacceptable that such important public transport projects are being delayed with years of legal proceedings. After this 3-year wait for a decision from the court, the OBB can finally get on with the connecting railway project, which is so important for Vienna This will bring the S80 to a 15-minute frequency and, with new stops, will create the necessary capacity for around 20,000 new people getting on and off, says Sima. Noise protection along the route brings improvements for residents.
The length of the section of the connecting railway is 5 kilometers, of which 800 meters are planned at high altitude as a route between Beckgasse and Wiental. It is particularly important that there are permanently available and barrier-free crossing options instead of the railway barriers. The elimination of railway crossings will also improve safety, especially in the area of schools and kindergartens.
Advantages of the connecting railway at a glance:
Introduction of an attractive 15-minute frequency for the S80 as an attractive offer for switching to public transport.
Increase in capacity to be able to serve around 20,000 new people getting on and off at 3 stops
Strengthening the direct connection from the western districts to the main train station and beyond
This will provide the urgently needed relief for the U4 and the distribution of current public transport users to other public transport offers
The connecting railway is also the prerequisite for the 2-line S-Bahn ring of the S45 and S80
The offer of an attractive connecting railway complements the attractive public transport offering in the city of 2 million people
Planning for accompanying footpaths and cycle paths
To make it more attractive, 400 new bicycle parking spaces and new, covered bike and ride facilities are planned. There will also be 2 new stops and modern sound insulation, which does not currently exist at all. The city of Viennas detailed planning for accompanying measures such as footpaths and cycle paths can now finally begin following the positive decision from the Federal Administrative Court. Subsequently, the forecourts of the train stations will be replanned in coordination with the OBB and the City of Vienna.
