27.3 km through the rock

Engineering skills pave the way through the mountain

A masterpiece of engineering: the 1200 employees who are significantly involved in the construction of the Semmering Base Tunnel deserve the greatest praise.

(Bild: Doris_SEEBACHER)

The excavation work is complete - laying the tracks will begin in the summer. And from 2030, it will be possible to travel from Vienna to Graz by train in less than two hours. This has already been celebrated. 

The time had already come in November: Almost ten years after the start of construction, the two 27.3-kilometer-long tubes between Gloggnitz in Lower Austria and Mürzzuschlag in Styria had been dug through the mountain. This has now been duly celebrated with prominent guests in Gloggnitz.

Work is currently continuing on the inner formwork and the final step will be to lay the tracks for rail traffic from the summer. "1000 kilometers of cable and 55 kilometers of track are required for the tunnel," explains ÖBB's Head of Finance Manuela Waldner.

A major challenge for everyone involved

Project manager Gerhard Gobiet on the years of construction work: "Various changing layers of rock, but also the Covid period, during which work was carried out on a daily basis, posed major challenges for everyone involved. But all of this was mastered successfully and with great dedication and expertise."

The only downer - four men unfortunately lost their lives during the excavation work for the tunnel.

• Construction period: 2012 to 2030
• Length of route: 27.3 km
• 1200 employees on the construction site
• Travel time Vienna-Graz: 1.50 instead of 2.40 hours
• Travel time Vienna-Klagenfurt: 2.40 instead of 4 hours
• 230 km/h maximum speed in the tunnel

Voices of the guests present: 

ÖBB Chief Financial Officer Manuela Waldner: "We are starting the year with the great historic achievement of having finished digging the Semmering Base Tunnel, after we were already able to end 2025 with the go-ahead for the Koralm Railway between Graz and Klagenfurt to go into operation. A truly historic moment that will have a lasting positive impact on the south."  

Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler: "As a native of Styria, I am therefore particularly pleased to be here today. We have invested a lot in recent years to make the switch to rail even more attractive for people in our country.  

Anne Elisabet Jensen, EU Coordinator Baltic-Adriatic Corridor: "Major projects such as the Koralm Railway or the Semmering Base Tunnel are very important parts of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor. At first glance, they may seem like purely national projects, but their completion has a clear European dimension, as they will bring enormous positive changes for people and companies both in Austria and in neighboring countries."  

Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner: "The construction of the Semmering Base Tunnel and the connection from Vienna and Wiener Neustadt to Styria is a very important project for Lower Austria. We need a modern infrastructure in order to remain competitive in the future. The Semmering Base Tunnel will create a modern connection to the south, from which we will all benefit greatly."  

Styrian Deputy Stmk. Manuela Khom: "The new southern route is particularly important for Styria and our economic and industrial location - not only nationally, but also internationally. Lower Austria, Vienna and also our neighboring states will be even easier to reach and create even closer connections. 

Provincial Vice-President Udo Landbauer: "The Semmering Base Tunnel is a triumph of engineering, an economic driver and the foundation for a new era on the railways. The Semmering Base Tunnel will be a turbo for local and regional transport via the Wiener Neustadt junction. In future, you will be in Graz in one hour and 15 minutes from Wiener Neustadt. Economic areas such as the upper Mur Valley will grow together with southern Lower Austria and the result will be an unprecedented, strong axis between Lower Austria and Styria."  

Claudia Holzer, Styrian Provincial Councillor: "In less than two hours from Graz to Vienna, in 45 minutes from Graz to Klagenfurt - the two projects of the century, the Semmering Base Tunnel and the Koralm Railway, are among the most important rail infrastructure projects in the heart of Europe.