- Three kilometres of new catenary line systems for high-speed railway in Lower Austria
- About 150 masts for reliability and sustainability
- Sophisticated construction site logistics, expertise and skill as prerequisites for time-efficient construction progress
The Lower Austrian market town of Petronell-Carnuntum represents impressive legacies of world history, while the spa town of Bad Deutsch Altenburg stands for health care and wellness. The two towns are connected by the S7 high-speed railway line whose catenary line systems are now being made fit for the future by foundation and mast installation work carried out by EQOS Energie on behalf of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG.
“A modern infrastructure is not only an important prerequisite for fail-safe and comfortable mobility by rail but also for sustainability and the associated contribution to climate protection,” said Carsten Kuhle, Managing Director and Head of the Railway Technology business unit at EQOS Energie. The project now underway in the Bruck an der Leitha district is therefore a significant contribution to making public transport in the greater Vienna area even more attractive.
Challenging logistics
No fewer than 146 catenary masts with a height of 10 to 16 metres and a weight of up to twelve tonnes will be erected along the six-kilometre route between the end of April and the beginning of September this year. For the most part, the foundations for the masts will not be poured but literally rammed into the ground, which will significantly optimise the time required for this work. A rail-mounted crane truck or a so-called multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), which is equipped with a crane and a scissor lift for working at lofty heights, will be used to erect the masts themselves.
“Since the work on projects of this kind is naturally rail-bound and we cannot simply set up detours as we would on a road construction site, the time factor is evidently particularly important in order to keep interruptions to rail operations as brief as possible,” said Bernhard Schuller, Head of the Catenary Systems Austria profit center at EQOS Energie. In addition to the team’s special flair for handling construction vehicles, pile drivers and masts, this also requires sophisticated construction site logistics between EQOS Energie and the other contractors, who are responsible for the dismantling and reconstruction of the catenary lines themselves during the same period.
The first construction phase from April to May will be completed in night shifts so that the S7 can continue to operate on this line section during the day. In phase two during the summer holidays, a complete closure of the single-track connection from Petronell-Carnuntum to Bad Deutsch Altenburg is planned.
Photo: Cityjet – © ÖBB/Kriechbaum