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Milestone on the U2: Tunnelling on track 2 completed

11 July 2025

Breakthrough of the TBM at Augustinplatz.
The cutting wheel, the centrepiece of the TBM, at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. It weighs approx. 78 tonnes, has a diameter of 6.88 metres and is equipped with around 40 rolling chisels and 100 peeling knives.
Factory acceptance of the U2 tunnelling machine in January 2024.

Half-time reached: Tunnel breakthrough at Augustinplatz
First tunnel constructed: TBM has advanced the route by around 2 kilometres
Consortium of STRABAG and PORR

The U2xU5 public transport extension, with the construction of the U5 line and the extension of the U2 line to the south, is Vienna's largest climate protection project and a construction project of superlatives. A consortium consisting of STRABAG and PORR was awarded the contract for the first construction phase of Wiener Linien's megaproject at the end of 2020. The contract: construction of the line tubes and new construction of four stations including emergency exits, for the U2 line. After construction began in 2021, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) ‘Debohra’ started driving on track 2, the first of the two new line tunnels for the U2 line, in autumn 2024.

The tunnel breakthrough at the Augustinplatz emergency exit was recently completed, marking the halfway point of the project and a significant milestone for the ARGE U2/17-21 consortium.

A breakthrough always marks a decisive milestone for us in tunnelling - especially in a major urban project of this complexity. It symbolises what we can achieve by joining forces: creating sustainable infrastructure that will improve mobility in Vienna in the long term. We are very proud to have achieved this success - it is a team effort at the highest level.

Gerhard Urschitz
Head of the STRABAG Tunnelling division

Milestones like this are only possible if everyone involved works together with passion, precision and close collaboration. The breakthrough at the Augustinplatz emergency exit shows how effective our partnership in the consortium is - and what we can achieve together for the future of urban mobility. The expansion of public transport U2xU5 in Vienna is a project that comes with great responsibility, which we are taking on with full conviction.

Karl-Heinz Strauss
CEO of PORR AG

TBM digs its way through Vienna Tegel

Debora's birth began in Schwanau, at the German site of the Herrenknecht company. Employees of the consortium worked together with colleagues from the manufacturer to assemble the TBM from 27,000 individual parts, test its function and technically approve it in January 2024. The TBM, which was specially designed for Vienna, has a total length of 127 metres and weighs an impressive 1,300 tonnes.

Dismantled into individual parts, it was transported to Vienna in early 2024 and reassembled at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. In autumn 2024, the TBM started full operation through Vienna Tegel: similar to an operational "buttonhole method", the work with the TBM took place underground. All of the earth excavated by the tunnelling machine was removed via the central shaft at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. This saves 20,000 lorry journeys through the the city; as a result, 75 tonnes of CO₂.

This marks the halfway point for Debohra: one of two new U2 tunnel tubes between Matzleinsdorfer Platz and Augustinplatz has been completed, and work on the second tunnel tube will continue in autumn. The two tunnels will connect the four new U2 stations Matzleinsdorfer Platz, Reinprechtsdorfer Straße, Pilgramgasse and Neubaugasse.

For the work on the second tunnel, parts of the TBM will be lifted out of the ground and returned to Matzleinsdorfer Platz, while the trailing gear of the TBM is pulled back through the tunnel to the starting point.

Photo of the breakthrough of the tunnel boring machine at Augistinplatz.

Breakthrough of the TBM at Augustinplatz.

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Stroke of the cutting wheel

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Photo of the tunnel boring machine at the factory acceptance test in January 2024.

Factory acceptance of the U2 tunnel boring machine in January 2024.

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Isabella Mayer
Press spokeswoman, Austria

+43 1 22422 1617

pr@strabag.com

STRABAG SE is a European-based technology group for construction services, a leader in innovation and financial strength. Our activities span all areas of the construction industry and cover the entire construction value chain. We create added value for our clients by taking an end-to-end view of construction over the entire life cycle – from planning and design to construction, operation and facility management to redevelopment or demolition. In all of our work, we accept responsibility for people and the environment: We are shaping the future of construction and are making significant investments in our portfolio of more than 250 innovation and 400 sustainability projects. Through the hard work and dedication of our approximately 89,000 employees, we generate an annual output volume of around € 20 billion.
Our dense network of subsidiaries in various European countries and on other continents extends our area of operation far beyond the borders of Austria and Germany. We pursue a clear sustainability strategy designed to make planning, construction and operation fit for the future. More information is available at www.strabag.com.