Despite being three years away from final completion, the Semmering Base Tunnel in Austria saw the first vehicle crossing through. This key project along the Vienna-Graz line will see the first trains at the end of 2029.
“While the journey was not yet by rail, but by minibus, it nevertheless marks an important step towards the commissioning of one of Austria’s largest infrastructure projects”, ÖBB said in a press release. The journey saw the participation of Austrian Mobility Minister Peter Hanke, the CEO of ÖBB Andreas Matthä and the Third President of the National Council Doris Bures.
The Semmering Base Tunnel will cross the homonymous mountain, running between Gloggnitz and Murzzuschlag, 80 kilometres south of Vienna. The excavation of the tunnel was concluded at the end of 2024. Between then and now, all the technical equipment was installed. The project, which has a cost of 3.9 billion euros, will replace the current mountainous Semmering line, opened in 1854.