The Joint venture between Strabag (50%) and Porr (50%) have been awarded the  half a billion euro contract for the first phase of the largest connected construction project of Wiener Linien, the Vienna public transport provider. A total of 7 km of tunnel will be driven and four new stations built as part of the redirection of the U2 line. Construction is set to begin in February 2021 and will run until mid-2028.  

Under the metro expansion, the U2 line between Karlsplatz and Rathaus will become part of the U5, while the U2 will branch down towards the south of the city. The contract is part of the first construction phase of the U2/U5 line expansion in the Austrian capital. This includes the phases U2/17-21 (U2/17 driven by TBM, U2/18 Matzleinsdorferplatz station, U2/19 Reinprechtsdorfer Straße station, U2/20 Pilgramgasse station and U2/21 Neubaugasse station).  

Around 4 km will be driven by a TBM, while another 3 km will be bored using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). All of the works such as tunnelling, structural engineering, ground engineering and railway construction will be rendered autonomously by the consortium.  

The stations are being built using the cut-and-cover method of construction, with the station shafts up to 40 m wide and 50 m long. This means that the excavation for the stations, which lie at a depth of up to 40 m, must first be secured by means of drilled piles and internal steel stiffeners and then worked downwards floor by floor. The station shafts themselves are also the central hub for the delivery and removal of the material. For further information please visit https://www.strabag.com/. 51/20.