Vienna Main Station – Not just a railway station, but an actual transport hub

In large European capitals, railway stations have become actual transport hubs, around which focus various modes of transport which meet the demands for mobility. The constant increase in the need for transport has determined authorities to implement major projects for citizens and tourists, who can benefit not only from extremely efficient transport links, but also from living, commercial and entertainment spaces. These are only few of the features of one of the most ambitious projects: Vienna Main Station.

In December 2009, the authorities in Vienna closed down Südbahnhof railway station in order to develop the newest and most important project of the Austrian capital: Vienna Main Station, whose project shows that this will not be just an ordinary railway station, but an actual transport hub, with residential buildings, parks, office buildings etc.
By providing an efficient connection between the north-south and east-west area, Vienna Main Station will become the largest local, regional, national and international transport hub, as well as a major hub on the trans-European railway network.
“Vienna Main Station is a major project for our capital, not just as a modern transport hub, but also from the point of view of economic growth. This project represents Vienna’s role as a national hub and, at the same time, it allows the development of the neighbouring districts”, said Michael Häupl, mayor of Vienna.
Vienna Main Station will have a surface of 20.000 sq m, 100 stores, a parking lot with a capacity of 600 motor vehicles, three garages for bicycles with over 1.100 spaces. Passengers will benefit from escalators and elevators that will facilitate access to all the embarking/disembarking points.
This station will connect the suburban trains which currently operate along a section of the north-south axis with those that operate on the east-west axis. The extension of tram, underground and bus lines will ensure connections at regional and local level. Direct access from the underground station to the suburban network will be ensured by an underground passageway. Another part of the railway station will provide places for taxis, facilities for disabled people, spaces for entertainment and an underground parking lot for bicycles, which ensures a direct link to the underground network. Having 100 km of new track and 300 works of art, Vienna Main Station will be a major transport hub in Vienna and in Europe.

“A city within a city”

Aside from the facilities provided in order to ensure an efficient transport system, the project includes the construction of office buildings, commercial and cultural spaces, a hotel with parking space, all of which will be made of sustainable materials.
On the south-east side of Vienna Main Station, the authorities will build the newest district in Vienna, Sonnwendviertel, over a surface of 35 acres. The biggest advantages of this new district will be brought by the transport system: a large network for bicycles, two flyovers for pedestrians which connect to the Wiener Linien transport network and Vienna Main Station, which will hold the largest transport hub in Vienna. In order to reduce noise, the project stipulates the installation of 14.000 soundproof glass walls and 8 km of soundproof walls. In order to turn this ambitious project into reality, studies were elaborated in 2007 to evaluate the environmental impact of the rail infrastructure construction and the urban construction works. In 2010, works began for the construction of the rail infrastructure. In 2011, the construction of the first office building is under way (the offices belong to the railway company). In 2015, the entire rail infrastructure will be put in service and in 2019 the construction of the residential buildings and facilities will be finalized.

by Pamela Luică


Share on:
Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail

 

RECOMMENDED EVENT: