Timeline

The work for the S-Bahn Vienna Upgrade will be carried out between autumn 2023 and December 2027. Work that cannot be accomplished while the railway is in operation will be bundled in order to implement efficiently and in the shortest possible time. This can only be done in the context of line closures, which are planned for the summer months and will take a longer period of time for the main construction measures concerning the building and supporting structures.

 

Overview route closures

S-Bahn Wien Upgrade Line Closures

 

 

Timeline for the modernisation of the S-Bahn Vienna core line

Start of construction measures in 2023

Beginning in autumn 2023, preparatory measures will start for the subsequent construction work in the Leopoldau to Floridsdorf section as well as in Handelskai, Traisengasse and Praterstern Nordkopf. The implementation of the construction work will last until summer 2025.

In summer 2026, the first phase of the commissioning of the digital train control system ETCS will then take place in the northern section.

    • Work that cannot be carried out during normal operation will be bundled in the summer months.
    • No trains will run in the section between Vienna Floridsdorf and Vienna Praterstern in July and August 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Main construction measures from autumn 2025

The main construction work will take place between autumn 2025 and autumn 2027. During these two years, the building and supporting structures in the section Vienna Praterstern - Vienna Main Station will be renewed:

Viaducts, bridges, retaining walls and the rail infrastructure will receive an upgrade to be ready for tomorrow's traffic volume.

    • Between September 2026 and October 2027, this will require a line closure between Vienna Praterstern and Vienna Main Station.

Completion by end of 2027

At the end of 2027, the final commissioning measures on the digital control system will take place in the section Vienna Rennweg - Vienna Meidling.

    • The S-Bahn tracks are not available during this time.
    • The southern line will continue to be in normal operation for long-distance traffic as far as Vienna Main Station.

 

 

Timetable for the northern and southern routes

With the S-Bahn Vienna Upgrade, numerous measures will also be implemented in Lower Austria, along the north-western line, the northern line and the southern line, all of which are interlinked with the modernisation of the "S-Bahn Vienna core line". In addition to the construction of new stabling and turning facilities, platforms are also being extended along the northern and southern routes in order to bring more commuters quickly and comfortably to the federal capital. Here, too, the focus is on bundling the construction work for the benefit of the customers.

Northern line

n order for trains on the northern line to be able to travel at 160 km/h in the future, optimisations are being made on the southern section of the northern line to Gänserndorf. For this purpose, the line will be closed for one month in summer 2026.

North-western line

On the north-western line, the first platforms for the S-Bahn Vienna Upgrade will be extended during a two-month summer closure in July and August 2023. The closure is also necessary because other modernisation measures are being implemented on the north-western line, which are coordinated with the platform extensions. In the section between Stockerau and the state border with the Czech Republic, a rail replacement service will be provided during this time.

Southern line

During the 2024 summer holidays, single track sections on the southern line will be closed between Vienna Liesing and Vienna Neustadt main station in order to be able to carry out all works close to the tracks.

 

 

Information on track closures

In order to minimise the impact on rail passengers and commuters, ÖBB, the City of Vienna and Wiener Linien are working closely together on a comprehensive replacement transport concept.

Detailed information on the affected connections, alternative transport or transfer options will be presented to the public and the media in good time before the first summer closure in 2024 and will continuously be expanded.