Koralm Tunnel construction finale

The last track support plate is being installed today

(Bild: Chris Zenz Fotograf Graz)

The completion of the track in the Koralm Tunnel is in full swing. Today, the last of around 13,000 track support plates, each over five meters long and weighing more than five tons, will be installed. Trains are expected to travel through the 33-kilometer tunnel at speeds of up to 230 km/h by the end of 2025.

Work on the entire railroad line between Graz and Klagenfurt is currently underway at full speed. During this final construction phase, up to 400 people are working around the clock, seven days a week, to bring up to ten transport trains into the tunnel every day.

The environmentally friendly delivery of the track support slabs was a particular concern for us. The concrete parts were loaded at the production site in Lower Austria and brought directly into the tunnel by train via the Styrian portals.

ÖBB Projektleiter Klaus Schneider

This is the only way the route can be completed in 45 minutes 
To reach Graz from Klagenfurt in three quarters of an hour, you need more than just a tunnel and a few rails. Vibration protection, noise protection, general tunnel safety, communication facilities, signaling and electrical interlockings also play a major role. Finally, the overhead line with innovative overhead conductor rail is used to ensure that trains can travel at high speeds using environmentally friendly traction current.

Digital twin provides a better overview
In order to be able to call up all information about materials, quantities or lines at any time and anywhere, there is a digital twin of the Koralm Tunnel and other structures along the Koralm Railway. This makes the Koralm Tunnel a pioneering project in terms of digitalization and, thanks to this wealth of technology, will also enable more effective maintenance in the future.

Facts about the Koralm Railway at a glance

• 130 kilometers of new track
• 47 kilometers of which are tunnels
• over 100 bridges
• and 23 modern stations and stops

(Bild: Chris Zenz Fotograf Graz)

The Koralm Railway between Graz and Klagenfurt is part of the new southern line and one of the most important infrastructure projects in Europe. The centerpiece, the 33-meter-long Koralm Tunnel, will provide the fastest connection between the two provincial capitals in just 45 minutes after completion.