Tauerntunnel Renovation: First Stage Completed as Planned

While the remaining work is still ongoing, the Tauern Shuttle for car and bicycle transport will begin limited operations on Saturday, July 5. Passenger and freight traffic through the Gastein Valley will start as scheduled on July 14, as informed by the ÖBB on Thursday.

Eight Months of Construction for Extensive Renovation

For the first construction phase, the 115-year-old, 8,371-meter-long tunnel has been closed since mid-November. A second closure, lasting five months, is expected to follow in the first half of 2027. The measures are already in planning and primarily concern the area of the south portal. The costs for both construction phases amount to around 160 million euros, as an ÖBB spokesperson explained to the APA.

Protection Against Water Ingress

The work involved the largest renovation since the structure was commissioned in 1909. The tunnel's inner shell had to be renewed due to regular water ingress, and control and safety technology were updated to the latest standards, with new tracks laid. Not the entire tunnel tube was renovated, but those areas where water regularly seeped from the mountain.

Around 500 workers were employed during the construction period. In the past eight months, the necessary renovations of the tunnel vault against water ingress were carried out with special machines. "After part of the vault was milled off with a multi-blade saw, the areas were sealed and reinforced with reinforcements and shotcrete to make them fit for the future," explained ÖBB project manager Christiane Schiavinato.

The Tunnel Radio System Was Also Renewed

In the Salzburg section of the tunnel, the overhead line was replaced with a modern ceiling conductor rail. This increases reliability and requires less maintenance. At the same time, the track sleepers over a length of about 4,200 meters were replaced with a concrete, so-called fixed track. With the renewed tunnel radio system and the newly installed signal and safety technology, the tunnel is to be prepared for the future. The lost time due to a so-called collapse, where the vault in the area of the portal in Böckstein gave way over a few meters during construction work, was made up for through the efforts of all involved.

Renovation of the Stations in the Gastein Valley Ends in 2027

The closure of the Tauern Tunnel had a significant impact on local and long-distance traffic. The federal railways set up replacement bus services for travelers, commuters, and cycling tourists on the popular Alpe-Adria cycle path.

Work is still ongoing on the renovation of the stations in Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, and Dorfgastein. The stations will be put into operation with the resumption of rail traffic on the Tauern line on July 14. The complete renovation of the stations, with easier access, extensive barrier-free access, new elevator systems, modern passenger information systems, tactile guidance systems, P&R and B&R facilities, bus turnarounds, new electronic interlockings, and even more reliable infrastructure, will be completed by the end of 2027. Customer-relevant improvements such as barrier-free access, P&R, B&R facilities, and bus turnarounds will be completed by the timetable change at the end of 2025.

(APA/Red)

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