Project information Upgrading the Vienna –Bratislava route SEPTEMBER 2016 The big picture The project The upgrade, step by step Passenger use What has happened up to this point? Respecting the environment Twin City Rail connects two European capital cities delivered by post.at 2 Upgrading the Vienna - Bratislava route The big picture The Vienna-Bratislava project is part of two European core net- an transportation system. work corridors, namely the Baltic-Adriatic and the Rhine-Dan- This cross-border development plan envisages a double-track ube core network corridors. Together with the Orient/East- upgrade and the electrification of the existing ÖBB route, Med core network corridor, Vienna forms the intersection which runs from Stadlau train station to the national border at point between three European core network corridors. Vienna Marchegg and continues into Slovakia. therefore occupies an outstanding position within the Europe- The project The project at hand relates to an upgrade of an existing route and transportation depots renovated and provided with with “long, straight sections” barrier-free access points. (roughly 32.5 km) within the Austrian railway network. The upgrade of a single-track diesel engine route to a double-track, electrified, high-performance route under continuous oper- ation constitutes a significant challenge. The track axis on a length of approximately 1.4 km will be displaced within the area of the entrance bend before Marchegg; the move is to occur up to 70 m to the north. Fur- thermore, the maximum line speed will be raised to 160 km/h, railway crossings replaced with under Slovakia and overcrossings or alternative routes, Danube MODULE MODULE MODULE MODULE Vienna A ustria Danube Danube Danube Upgrading the Vienna - Bratislava route 3 The upgrade, step by step For large-scale projects in particular, it has proven advanta- geous to divide plans into individual construction phases and realise them on a step by step basis. This project will also be implemented on a step by step basis in 3 modules: Module 1a: Double-track, electrified, full upgrade within the Viennese section from Stadlau to the Wien Aspern Nord train station Module 1b: Double-track upgrade and electrification, section by section, from Wien Aspern Nord to the national border at Marchegg Module 2: Development of a second track in single-track zones At present, the route is being fully utilised. On the basis of the train numbers outlook for 2025, operational capacity for the Wien Aspern Nord train station route may be significantly improved with the development of Modules 1a and 1b. FIGURES-INformatioN-Facts 10 communities involved: Vienna, Groß-Enzersdorf, Module 1 a: Two-track full upgrade, Viennese section Raasdorf, Großhofen, Glinzendorf, Leopoldsdorf, Obersie- Module 1 b: Two-track upgrade, specified sections benbrunn, Untersiebenbrunn, Lassee, Marchegg Module 2: Two-track full upgrade, remaining track Project length: roughly 37 km Existing route 9 transport depots: Existing transport depots 4 train stations: Raasdorf, Siebenbrunn-Leopoldsdorf, Transport depots to be renovated Schönfeld-Lassee, Marchegg 5 bus stops: Wien Hirschstetten, Wien Aspern, Glinzendorf, Untersiebenbrunn, Breitensee Civil engineering works: 4 railway bridges 6 overpasses 5 underpasses 4 pedestrian and cyclist underpasses Slovakia 4 pedestrian passages 13 railway crossings closed Track superstructure: roughly 90 km of track Danube 63 switch points MODULE roughly 1500 catenary support systems MODULE 1 substation MODULE MODULE Construction and renovation of roads: Primary road network: roughly 13 km Vienna Secondary road network: roughly 40 km A MilestoNES ustria Development of infrastructure: 2006-2008 Danube Planning schedule: 2008-2012 EIA submission: 2013 Danube EIA decision: August 2014 Renovation of Marchegg train station: Feb – Dec 2015 Danube Construction start Module 1a: October 2016 Completion of Module 1a: 2018 Module 1b: 2018 – 2023 Completion: 2030 Upgrading the Vienna - Bratislava route 4 Passenger use Alongside a reduction in journey time in long-distance trans- Within the Viennese section, a new connecting station be- port between the two capital cities, there will also be further tween the ÖBB route and the U2 underground line in Vienna advantages for commuters due to a potential increase in will be developed with the Wien Aspern Nord train station. train frequencies. Passengers will be able to avail of attractive The substructure and superstructure are to be constructed transport stations which will stand out due to having rooves according to the latest state of technology. In doing so, vibra- over the platforms, transparent waiting rooms, and new infor- tions will be reduced. Residential areas will be protected by mation systems such as automatic train destination displays, the construction of noise protection walls. Paths may be used loudspeakers and monitors. Pedestrian passages and barri- by cyclists and pedestrians at the same time. Additionally, er-free access to platforms will increase passenger safety. the closure of railway crossings, which will be replaced with underpasses and overpasses, will increase traffic safety. Visualization of Wien Hirschstetten train station Visualization of stairs & lift to the platform at Wien Hirschstetten train station What has happened up to this point? Marchegg train station was renovated from February to De- A passage was constructed so that the new barrier-free cen- cember 2015 so that it could become more user-friendly and tral platform could be reached safely. Trains may be reached barrier-free. Alongside renovation of the train station, work using the new barrier-free lifts. for electrification to be completed later on in Module 1b was All newly constructed facilities were fitted with modern brought forward. Noise pollution within the area of the train lighting. station is reduced to a minimum as a result of these measures. In February 2016 the first preliminary work (clearing work) Alongside Park & Ride facilities with roughly 120 parking spac- within the Viennese zone began between Hirschstetten and es for cars, a covered bike rack with 50 spaces was construct- Aspern Nord. ed. The new platforms were provided with modern waiting rooms and a tactile control system. Marchegg train station before the start of renovation work - Marchegg train station after renovation work - November 2015 February 2015 5 Upgrading the Vienna - Bratislava route Respecting the environment The double-track upgrade and electrification project for the responsible authorities within the BMVIT [Federal Ministry route between Vienna and Bratislava was subject to an en- for Transport, Innovation and Technology] over the course of vironmental impact assessment (EIA) in accordance with the the approval procedure. This was handled as transparently provisions of the Austrian Environmental Impact Assessment and as comprehensibly as possible while taking the general Law (UVP-G 2000). public into consideration. The objective of an EIA is to prevent environmental damage Even during the planning phase, the lowest possible level by implementing precautionary measures. Environmental of damage to human, animal and plant living environments, impacts must be taken into consideration in a holistic and the conservation of ecological resources, the preservation of comprehensive way throughout the project. Environmental infrastructure, a safe flooding procedure for traversing rivers issues are to be factored into the planning process to the and streams, and an economical approach were stated as same extent as technical issues, and were evaluated by the significant aims of the project. Twin City Rail connects two European capital cities Central Europe consists of the economic areas of development in this region will also contribute substantially four European countries, namely, the Czech Republic, to locational advantages and cross-border networking. The Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. Vienna and Bratislava are two Twin City Rail project will add significantly to this, meaning European capitals at the heart of Central Europe. The objec- that development potential will be increased. tive of the Twin City Rail project is to create an outstanding, infrastructural link between the two European capitals. Both To further interlink a region such as Vienna – Lower Austria – cities are located only 60 kilometers away from one another, Bratislava, an effective infrastructure must be created for the and are exemplary in terms of future prospects within the future. Only a transportation concept which can be banked new Europe when it comes to politics, culture and business. on alongside other infrastructures while in operation can become successful and competitive on a long term basis. 6.5 million people live in Central Europe. A labour market and sales market with great potential, which remain untap- ped to a great extent, may be found here. More INformatioN Will be prioritiseD DuriNG plaNNING ÖBB places a particular value on clear, coordinated and consistent project communication. Therefore, over the course of the EIA submission process, the plan was exhi- bited at 3 evening events organised in Raasdorf, Untersie- benbrunn and Lassee for the communities in Lower Austria affected by the plan. Here, the project team presented the project and ans- wered questions relating to it. Furthermore, a planning brochure was published and the project, including sig- nificant planning points, was made available bilingually in both German and Slovakian on the