You are here: Home » Archives for Austria
Austria - Articles and news items
Issue 4 2011 / 4 August 2011 /
After years of preparation and comprehensive calls for tenders from suppliers, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has placed all orders for the implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS). In February 2010 the final purchase order was placed, concerning system integration. During the past two years, a company-wide programme group has been working on the implementation of ETCS in Austria. This marks the beginning of a new era in automated train control and protection for ÖBB and is simultaneously a further step towards deregulated and efficient rail traffic throughout Europe.
Harmonised standards thanks to ERTMS
Due to the many differences in the historic development of national railways in Europe, various non-compatible train control systems have emerged (see Figure1). This circumstance has impaired cross-border traffic and poses a significant operational and economic obstacle for the railways, especially with regard to the European common market. The EU has therefore been keen to standardise and deregulate train services throughout Europe – with the goal of establishing interoperable and efficient crossborder rail traffic for all operating companies. (more…)
Issue 4 2010 / 4 August 2010 /
The railways in Europe continue to face disadvantages in competition with roads. The only way to achieve fair competition in the transport sector is to reflect the true costs of each mode of transport, including factors such as climate protection, social issues, health aspects and safety. Unfortunately, some approaches at the EU level do not follow this line of thought. (more…)
Issue 4 2010 / 4 August 2010 /
€270 million will be invested in the creation of a unique transport station in the festival city of Salzburg that is to be completed by 2014. The new through station will do full justice to the requirements of a modern railway age as a regional and international transport hub. High customer convenience, short distances, barrier-free changing of trains, optimal passenger information, a central passage with shopping facilities, a unique architectural concept integrating listed historic building elements into state-of-the-art railway infrastructure will give Salzburg a distinctive new entrée. (more…)
Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 21 July 2009 /
ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG is a modern and customer-oriented infrastructure operator allowing the 22 railway undertakings authorised to operate in Austria access to ÖBB’s approximately 5,700km-long railway network. To this end, ÖBB’s operation control strategy plays a decisive role. ÖBB heralded a new high-tech era with the launch of the operation control centre in Innsbruck at the end of 2008.
Aspects of quality, operating reliability and non-discrimination towards these customers as well as the safeguarding of cost effectiveness, productivity and efficiency form the basis of our operational and strategic work.
The tasks of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG include the provision, operation and maintenance of a safe infrastructure in line with demand. The objectives are the continuous improvement of the infrastructure’s quality and safety and the increase of productivity. The potential for streamlining results from the technical and organisational measures and the use of innovative systems.
(more…)
Issue 3 2009, Past issues / 15 May 2009 /
This year, the Arlberg Railway line celebrates its 125th anniversary. It is still very important for ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) and its customers as it is the only railway connection between the two Austrian provinces of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. Furthermore it is an imposing and interesting section of the Austrian western railway line between Bregenz, Zürich and Vienna.
Up to 90 trains use the twisting mountain section on peak days – every day approximately 4,000 passengers travel in the long-distance trains whilst enjoying the great view. In the section between Landeck (Tyrol) and Bludenz (Vorarlberg), which is 63km long, trains pass through a total of 14 tunnels and 20 galleries that serve as protection from falling rocks and avalanches. In recent years, ÖBB-Infrastruktur has invested large amounts of money in safety. In 2003, the 2.2km long Blisadona tunnel was built in the direct vicinity of the railway station of Langen – in the Arlberg Railway tunnel (with a length of 10.7km), the largest European road-railway safety project to be implemented at present. In addition, a larger number of railway stations along the line were modernised and equipped with a customer-friendly outfit. The railway line sees an additional landmark at present as the 100-year-old bridge near Landeck is replaced by a new steel arch bridge weighing 1,400 tonnes.
(more…)
Issue 4 2008, Past issues / 1 August 2008 /
With an average yearly investment volume of approximately €1.2 billion in new projects and the development of existing projects, plus approximately €500 million in the existing network, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG is the force behind track developments in Austria.
Austria – which as a result of the Eastern expansion is now located in the heart of Europe – needs strong railway corridors with optimal connections to its neighbouring states. The focus is on the development of the main connections to high-performance routes and the modernisation of the largest stations. Furthermore, ÖBB makes huge investments in many suburban service projects, enhanced tunnel safety, noise protection measures as well as park & ride facilities and extensive reinvestments in the existing 11,600 kilometres rail network.
Four-track development of the Western line (Danube axis)
ÖBB is currently working at full speed on the four-track development of the 300km long Western railway line between Salzburg and Vienna – the key element of the Austrian section of the TEN 17 railway corridor, i.e. the axis ‘Paris-Strasbourg-Stuttgart-Vienna-Bratislava’.
This development will create the prerequisites for the passenger and goods transport capacity increase urgently needed along this route: now, instead of the former two tracks, a four-track high-performance axis for the West-East traffic is available in prominent sectors.
In the coming years, the investment activities will focus on the areas between Vienna and Linz as well as between Vienna and Bratislava. Long distance travellers and, in particular, the numerous commuters in the Vienna conurbation, will benefit from this new high-performance route. Expected to commence in 2012, the journey time for the route from St. Pölten to Vienna will be reduced from 45 minutes to just under 25 minutes. At the same time, it will be possible to travel from Vienna to Salzburg in 2 hours and 15 minutes. Furthermore, the main stations of Salzburg (under planning) and St. Pölten (under construction) will undergo modernisation.
Vienna-Bratislava
There are currently three projects under planning for the development of the rail connection between the capitals of Vienna and Bratislava (Slovakia). The aim is to create a high-level connection for both passenger and freight transport in accordance with the requirements of the two densely populated areas and with the economic importance of the entire region in the United Europe.
Development of the Southern line (Pontebbana axis) into a high-performance route
With the development of this North-South axis from the Czech Republic via Vienna to Italy, ÖBB is creating a fast and efficient railway line, both safeguarding Austria as a business location and linking the important economic regions in the North and the South of the EU. The two key projects along this axis are the Koralm railway line Graz-Klagenfurt and the new Semmering base tunnel.
Koralm railway line Graz-Klagenfurt
The Koralm railway line will see a two-track electrified route constructed on 130km by 2018, which will directly link the two cities of Graz and Klagenfurt and allow a journey time reduction from currently just less than three hours to approximately one hour. The 33km long Koralm tunnel, at the portals of which two completely new IC stations will be constructed, forms the key element of this line.
New Semmering base tunnel
With approximately 70,000 goods and passenger trains a year, the Semmering – situated between Vienna and Graz – is the most highly frequented mountain route in Austria. The construction of the new Semmering base tunnel as a supplement to the present route is to contribute to a uniformly efficient Southern line and to improve the transport offer in line with the increasing market demands. The key objectives are an end-to-end operation of heavy goods trains with only one locomotive, a considerable journey time reduction for passenger transport as well as the optimisation of the operation and maintenance costs. In preparation of the project, an extensive train path selection procedure was carried out, the results of which have been available since May 2008. Provided that the official procedures such as the environmental impact assessment will be completed by the end of 2011, a realisation will be possible by 2022.
Speedy development of the Lower Inn valley route
The European transport policy on the TEN 1 railway corridor Berlin to Palermo has decided on a gradual procedure concerning the development of the central section between Munich and Verona, the Brenner railway axis. The highest priority will be on the Austrian section between Kundl (region of Wörgl) and Baumkirchen (region of Innsbruck) in the Tyrolean Lower Inn valley. On this two-track route, there is an average operation of approximately 300 trains and on peak days more than 350 trains a day. In terms of operations, an expansion of the rail traffic on the existing facilities is only possible to a certain extent. Thus, the Lower Inn valley has become the bottleneck of the international North-South rail traffic via the Brenner. From a transport policy point of view, the development of this route is a must.
By 2012/13, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG (commissioned by the Brenner Eisenbahn Gesellschaft, a wholly owned subsidiary of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG) will construct a new 40km section between Kundl/Radfeld and Baumkirchen. Almost 32km of this route runs through tunnels, sags, underground train paths and one gallery. There are ongoing construction measures in the entire project area. The future high-performance line will allow train operations with speeds of over 200km/h. Apart from the required capacity extension, the new train path will also make it possible to disentangle passenger and goods transport.
The planning of another section; Kundl to Kufstein, is at the ‘path finding’ stage.
Vienna conurbation
The current investment projects in the Vienna conurbation follow two subordinate objectives: the renovation of the Viennese stations and the improvement of Vienna’s connection with the national and international stations.
State-of-the-art stations
In the Vienna conurbation, a total of eight stations are presently undergoing complete modernisation. With the largest project, the new Vienna main station, a traffic hub for 145,000 customers and 1,000 trains a day will be constructed by 2013. This will be the first time in Vienna that the trains from all directions will be connected or continuously linked in one station. Also the stations Vienna West, Vienna Heiligenstadt, Vienna Hütteldorf, Vienna Mitte, Vienna Medling and Airport Vienna Schwechat will be modernised. The station Vienna Praterstern was opened in April in time for Euro 2008.
‘Lainzer Tunnel’
To appropriately connect the Western line with the federal capital Vienna and to also link it with the connecting railway lines in the South and East of Austria, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG is presently realising the 12.8km long ‘Lainzer’ tunnel for approximately €1.3 billion. This project will allow the underground operation of goods and passenger long distance trains through Vienna; the resulting free capacities above ground can be utilised for the concentrated passenger suburban transport. In addition, major improvements in the noise protection of the bordering residents will be achieved. Its completion is scheduled for the end of 2012.
Issue 6 2007, Past issues / 26 November 2007 /
The construction of the new Lower Inn Valley Railway is one of Austria’s largest infrastructure projects. By 2012, the first section of the Northern feeder line to the Brenner base tunnel will be constructed on a length of ca. 40 kilometres.
The roots of today’s rail development projects through the Brenner mountain with its Northern and Southern feeder lines can be traced back to the budding public awareness of the environment in the 70s and 80s of the last century as well as the ‘success’ of the new traffic routes at that time. A few years after its completion, the new Brenner motorway showed traffic development exceeding all prognoses of traffic planning. In transport policy terms it became quite clear that, in the long term, neither the industry nor the abutters would accept the continuously increasing road traffic, the related environmental pollution and the more and more frequent quality losses. Though the existing Lower Inn Valley Railway, which began operating in 1858, had been continuously modernised, it was evident that it would reach its capacity limit sooner or later. Even today, there is no synchronised passenger suburban rail service between Innsbruck and Kufstein. (more…)
Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
ÖBB is on the way to renewal – and on the way to European achievement. One thing is clear to all members of the Group; ÖBB must be fit for European competition. This will require extensive work in major activities – ranging from the new main railway station of Vienna (the most important Central European transport hub of the future), to making sure they are number one on the Eastern and South-eastern European goods transport market. Some areas have already been achieved, but other areas remain incomplete. (more…)
Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
Reorganisation of the ÖBB into a group with market orientated companies is the passport to successful participation in a liberalized rail transport market. Aiming to be among the best, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG is improving the quality of its existing network while intensifying the push for internationalisation to embrace the economic growth of South and South-Eastern Europe. (more…)
Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
In early 2005, European Railway Review’s sister publication, Eurotransport, published an article describing the main functions and the development of SUPERNOVA – the evaluation tool of ÖBB Passenger Transport Department. Since 2005, there have been some relevant improvements of SUPERNOVA which has enlarged widely the possibilities to use the model. This article will discuss those improvements and give an update on the SUPERNOVA evaluation tool.
As described in the article in Eurotransport Issue 2 2005, SUPERNOVA at that time was already a very detailed VISUM-based public transport model which covered the whole railway network and timetable and all regional bus services routed on a very fine road network. The model was intensively used to evaluate the effects of timetable changes (rail and connecting bus services) on the public transport demand. One effect of the intensive timetable evaluations under usage of SUPERNOVA was that the costumers of ÖBB PV AG in 2005 were more satisfied with the timetable than in the years before, although train kilometers were reduced compared with the previous years. (more…)
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
ÖBB, The Austrian Federal Railway Company, transports approximately 183.3 million passengers and 90.6 million tons of freight traffic per year. The ÖBB railway network consists of approximately 3,600 kilometres of main railway lines and in the region of 2,200 kilometres supplementary network (Figure 1).
At the moment, the maximum line speed is 200 kilometres per hour. This will increase to 250 km/h in the near future. The maximum axle loads are approximately 22.5 tons and the total length of our tracks is 10,500 kilometres. 7,100 kilometres of them are electrified and the network contains about 16,700 switches and crossing units.
Ballastless track at ÖBB
At the beginning of the 1980s, the ÖBB started using ballastless track systems. During the first phase (from 1982 until 1995), several different types of ballastless track systems were tested. In that period, approximately 22,600 meters of ballastless track were built. The main types used at that time were monolithic systems (RHEDA), booted sleeper systems (STEDEF) and precast slab systems (ÖBB/Porr). After this first period, the experience with the different systems gained by ÖBB was evaluated. The following main aspects were investigated:
- Specific design aspects (needed space etc.)
- Construction process (sensitivity in order to site situation)
- Quality (track quality, acoustic behaviour etc.)
- Economic situation (initial investment costs and life-cycle costs)
The result of this detailed investigation was that for use in the network of ÖBB, the ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system fitted best. Furthermore, it has been established that the main field of use of the ballastless track system are on tunnel-lines.
Due to these facts, only the ÖBB/Porr system has been used in the network of the ÖBB after 1995. For switches and crossing areas, special ballastless systems consisting of booted monobloc sleepers were developed and are still in use now.
At the moment, approximately 130 kilometres of ballastless track systems are under operation within the ÖBB railway network – used mainly in tunnels but also on bridges and on surface lines. For noise and vibration reduction, many of these systems are combined with floating slabs. The system is tested for a maximum train speed of more than 300km/h and has a certification for a maximum train speed of 330km/h. The system is licensed for use in the Austrian, German and Swiss railway network.
Worldwide use of ballastless track systems
The development of ballastless track systems started in the second half of the 20th Century in Japan (due to high speed train traffic). A few years later, these developments reached Europe. The Japanese developments focused on precast elements, but the developments in Switzerland were based on booted sleeper systems while in Germany, the developments were based on monolithic cast in place systems. The worldwide distribution of the main ballastless track system is shown in Figure 2.
Use of the ÖBB/Porr system outside Austria
Due to the very good experiences gained by ÖBB with the ÖBB/Porr Slab Track System, many other railway companies showed interest in the system. Therefore, this ballastless track system has been used at new, large railway connection projects in Berlin: North-South intercity railway connection and East-West connection near the Lehrter Bahnhof. In total, there are approximately 18 kilometres of the ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system currently under operation. The system is situated in tunnels and on bridges with short sections on earthwork.
Main features of the ÖBB/Porr system
The ÖBB/Porr system was designed to replace the typical behaviour of the ballasted track by several elastic elements in the ballastless system. The typical behaviour of a ballasted track shows the elasticity in the ballast itself and in the rail fastening system. These two elastic elements have to be copied by the elasticity of the rail fastening system in the ballastless track and of the elasticity of a second layer which is situated at the bottom of the prefabricated slabs.
This system (shown in Figure 3) leads to a distribution of the elasticity between the elastic coating of the slabs and the rail fastening system of 10% to 90%. Usually, the rail fastening system IOARV 300-1 from Vossloh realises the needed elasticity in the rail fasteners. The elastic coating consists of a PUR-bound granular rubber.
During train operation this leads to rail deflections of 1.5 millimetres under a Taurus locomotive (about 22.5 tons axle load). The main advantages of the system are:
- Very small space needed (width of slabs is 2.40m and can be reduced down to 2.10m, thickness of slabs is 16cm which leads to a construction height of 50cm from top of rail down to e.g. tunnel floor) which leads to reduction of the necessary cross-section of e.g. tunnels
- Very good vibration attenuating performance (the system can be addressed as a floating track slab system with about 1 ton per meter sprung mass)
- Use of the standard rail fastening system Vossloh IOARV 300-1 which makes an easy maintenance possible
- Simple construction procedure on site (most of the sensitive works are transferred into the prefabrication site)
- High track quality standard is documented by intensive measurements of all realised projects up to no
- Quick construction procedure on site because of use of only few concrete on site (most of the fabrication is done at the prefabrication site)
- Easy and effective repair concept (exchange of rail fasteners or whole slabs can be done very easily in very short time)
- Very good-natured behaviour in order to extra ordinary events as for example derailment
- Nearly no regular maintenance work necessary
Possible use of the system for the Turkish railway network
Today, the situation of the Turkish federal railway company, TCDD, shows the following statistic performance (source: www.tcdd.gov.tr): 8,700km main lines, 11,000km total network, about 8,000 units switches and crossings. The maximum line speed is V = 140km/h at the moment. The yearly transportation volume is approximately 77 million passengers and in the region of 20 million tons of freight traffic.
This means that in comparison with ÖBB, the length of the network of TCDD is of comparable size but the transportation volume is significantly lower. These facts have to be reflected – having in mind that the country is several times larger than Austria – which leads to the following statements:
Statement 1
A lot of additional railway lines would be needed to reach a similar density of railway network and furthermore a lot of improvements of the existing network would be necessary to enlarge the transportation volume of the net. Especially the differences in the number of switches and crossings are an indicator for the improvement needs of the existing network.
Statement 2
At the moment, and in the near future, a couple of new high-speed railway lines will be built in Turkey. The maximum line speed of these projects is up to V = 250km/h. Therefore, questions of superstructure are of major importance. Not only in tunnels but also on viaducts, ballastless systems lead to economic (especially in order of long-time aspects) and safety advantages.
Due to the advantages of the ÖBB/Porr system described in this article, in theory it seems to fit very well for the Turkish Railway network. Especially for use in tunnels, which is the main area of application, seems to be effective as well as in Austria. The reasons for that are the much reduced maintenance necessities, the safe run of the trains and the good behaviour of the system in case of derailment events. Furthermore, it is possible to equip the ÖBB/Porr system with a lot of optional elements. For example it is possible to make the whole system rideable for road vehicles (e.g. fire engines, ambulance) by using additional elements. To increase the safety of railway tunnels, this field of usage gets more and more important in Austria. As mentioned above, the system is well suited for combination with noise and vibration attenuating systems (floating track slab systems).
The basic characteristic of the system – most of the construction work takes place in pre¬fabrication sites – makes it useable with a minimum of high-qualified people on site and ensures a very good track quality. Nevertheless, most of the works for the system can be done by local people either in the prefabrication process or on site. The ÖBB/Porr track system can be combined with usual high-elastic rail fastening systems as for example IOARV 300-1 from Vossloh.
Conclusions
At the moment, and in the near future, the Turkish railway network will be enlarged and improved. Therefore, ballastless track forms will be needed as well. The ÖBB/Porr system for ballastless tracks which consists of elastically supported precast concrete slabs is very well suited for the specific situation in Turkey. It shows a lot of advantages for applications in tunnels, on bridges and on surface lines. Due to the prefabrication principle, a very good track quality can be realised with a minimum of high-qualified people on site.
The ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system would be a good contribution to the extension and modernisation of the Turkish railway network. The following points of reference were used for information to help complete this article:
- TCDD: www.tcdd.gov.tr. RPC Department Statistics Office, Ankara
- Schilder, R.: Experience in ballastless track gained on ÖBB. European Slab Track Symposium, Brussels, Belgium, 22 February 2005
- Schilder, R.: Ballastless track application in existing tunnels – experience gained on Austrian Federal Railways. Rail Engineering International Edition 1993 Number 4
- Schilder, R.: Improvement of ballastless track designs for turnouts: experience gained on Austrian Federal Railways. Rail Engineering International Edition 1999 Number 1
Figure 1: Lines of the ÖBB railway network
Figure 2: Distribution of ballast-less systems worldwide
Figure 3: Rail fastening system Vossloh IOARV 300-1
About the author
Rudolf Schilder has a diploma in Civil Engineering from the University of Graz, Austria. He also worked there as a university assistant in the Institute of Railway Technology from 1979 to 1983. During these years he received a Doctors degree in Technical Sciences. In 1983 he joined Austrian Federal Railways and occupied several functions. In 1996, as head of Track&Structure Department, Mr. Schilder was in charge of Track Technologies. Since 2005, Mr. Schilder has been Head of Permanent Way Department at ÖBB Bau AG. Mr. Schilder is a member of several national and international working groups, such as OeNorm (Austrian Standardization Office), ÖVG (Austrian Society for Traffic and Transport Science, Working Committee on Railway Technology), CEN (Committee for European Normalization), UIC (International Railway Union), AEIF (European Association for Railway Interoperability) and ERA (European Railway Agency).
Issue 4 2006, Past issues / 28 July 2006 /
At the beginning of the 1990s, and due to the occurrence of some heavy accidents, ÖBB began to look for a new train protection system to fit the requirements of an increased traffic capacity on the lines and as a result of this, the necessity to increase safety on the whole network of ÖBB. Subsequently, ÖBB started evaluating different products existing on the market.
At this time, the system development of ERTMS/ETCS had started but no products where available. As a future member of the European Union, Austria was invited and forced by the Commission to participate in the development process of ERTMS/ETCS.
The Hungarian State Railways, MÁV Co, and ÖBB – as possible future users of the new system – together with the industry partners Alcatel Austria, Ansaldo, Alstom, CSEE Transport and ARSENAL research, as an independent body, first started operational trials of an ETCS Level 1 system in Europe in 1999 on a section of the Vienna-Budapest line covering sections in Hungary and Austria. The successful finalisation of those operational tests consequently lead to a project to install ETCS Level 1 on the complete Vienna-Budapest line. The Austrian part of the project for the 67km line section from Vienna to the Hungarian boarder station Hegyeshalom started in 2001 and the implementation was finished in 2005. The ETCS system is interfaced with three different kinds of interlocking (two type relay-interlocking and one type electronic interlocking), within the project the ETCS system has been installed on 13 double traction locomotives of the type 1116 (Taurus). (more…)
Login to access exclusive content