Bregenz/Vienna/Graz/Klagenfurt, 24 July 2020 - The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have awarded the contract for the railway infrastructure of the Koralm Tunnel to the joint venture "FF Koralm". With this contract, ARGE partners PORR Bau GmbH and Rhomberg Bahntechnik GmbH will build the 34.1-kilometre long section of the "Koralm Railway" from May 2021 and will supervise all further construction measures up to commissioning. PORR has the technical lead, Rhomberg Bahntechnik is responsible for the commercial management.
A key element of the contract, worth around EUR 160 million, is the construction of almost 66 kilometres of slab track in the tunnel. The joint venture will also be in charge of the construction of the bench and side paths as well as the access routes in ballast to the tunnel portals. In addition, preliminary work for the telecom technology, the construction of the ventilation buildings at the east and west portals, the completion of the east portal building and the construction of the west portal building will be carried out. The contract also includes the construction of noise barriers and fall protection barriers to the left and right of the east access route, adaptations to the water protection facilities and road construction work on the L145. Finally, the joint venture is responsible for the supply and installation work for the overhead contact line as well as the manufacture and operation of the temporary construction work during the installation phases up to the commissioning of the line in 2025.
The project is divided into several construction phases and begins with the construction of the construction site equipment area "East" in the immediate vicinity of Wettmannstätten station. In this part, the complete infrastructure for supplying the "East" construction section will be provided, including the safety control centre, a logistics control centre, construction offices, crew and sanitary container facilities, a workshop with storage and parking areas, the concrete mixing plant, two loading tracks with a train wash and loading zone. Official start of construction is May 1, 2021. The works will be carried out around the clock in the shortest possible construction time and will therefore only take approx. 23 months. During the construction phase, the joint venture is also responsible for the overall coordination of construction logistics and site safety.
"It makes us proud to contribute to the success of this important infrastructure project for Austria with our expertise, explains Johannes Fürst, authorised signatory of PORR Bau GmbH. Robert Kumpusch, Managing Director of Rhomberg Bahntechnik GmbH, adds: "We are especially pleased that we will now be implementing a project together with the ÖBB that promises a particularly sustainable and high-quality result thanks to the innovative ideas and the economic approach". Both partners are relying on the bundling of their know-how and experience in order to complete the task on schedule and within budget as well as to the client's full satisfaction. The project is part of the Koralm Railway.
