Felbermayr infrastructure construction getting railway project on track
October 17, 2023 | Markus Lackner
When Railjets travel at speeds of up to 230 kilometres per hour and passengers appreciate the high level of comfort, this also has a lot to do with the quality of the track bed. “We are the main contractor for the four-kilometre-long construction lot 4.3, which extends from the bridge over the B137 Osttangente to the bridge over the A25 Welser motorway,” explains Hans Becker, Departmental Manager at Felbermayr Infrastructure Construction.
Base layers for tracks laid<wbr /><wbr /><wbr />
“We were commissioned with the substructure work there. We removed the old track ballast and renewed the substructure, i.e. improved and stabilised the ground and restored the structure in the BT-Bahn system, an asphalt layer. Finally, we installed about half of the new track ballast framework,” explains Becker. With reference to other Felbermayr construction areas, the company is technically ideally equipped for this: “We have all facets of civil engineering in-house, such as earthwork, sewer construction, asphalt construction and specialised civil engineering.”
60,000 cubic metres excavated
The ÖBB contract also includes the new construction of the drainage system for the railway tracks. This protects the substructure. This is because surface water can soften the soil and have a negative impact on its load capacity. “We have built a drainage system across the entire construction site, the water from which flows into seven water protection systems. In total, we excavated 60,000 cubic meters of ground,” describes the departmental manager. Six of these retention basins are located south of the railway tracks and one to the north. All basin embankments have already been covered with humus again.
Building material recycled
“We tried to conserve as many resources as possible, ensured the quality of the resulting material such as track ballast and excavated soil using various processing methods and reintroduced it into the construction lot elsewhere,” emphasises Becker and adds: “For example, we have reinstalled old track ballast as frost protection material. We produced most of the bulk materials listed in the tender in the construction lot ourselves.” This hugely reduced the transport kilometres and conserved natural resources: “Little landfill volume was used and no additional natural soil was used.”
Construction lot 4.3 is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. “So far we have carried out all the work within the construction period. By the end of this year, 70 per cent of our work will already be done,” the department head calculates and looks ahead to the coming years: “Around 20 per cent will follow in 2024: These are comprehensive noise protection measures for the neighbours to the south. We are replacing old noise protection cassettes with new ones and renewing the support system accordingly.” A third of the entire noise barriers have already been erected this year - in the centre of the four tracks.
Gaps closed by 2026
In 2025 and 2026, there will still be construction sites to close the gap at the upper and lower end of the construction lot. Becker adds: “What we have already implemented on a large scale for the track substructure will be followed by smaller construction measures.” Once the three new bridges for six new tracks - two of which will connect the shunting yard - have gradually been built over the A25, Felbermayr will construct the connecting areas. This work then marks the final stage of the order.
Demanding working hours
Whether in freight or passenger transport, ÖBB is a transportation company, Becker notes. This also required special planning measures for the construction work: “We have up to 70 employees on duty every day,” reports Becker, adding that daily can be taken quite literally: “The organisation of construction work in the vicinity of tracks requires close coordination with the client in order to maintain rail traffic.” This also justifies almost routine deployments at night, at weekends and on public holidays. “That’s a challenge for our employees,” says Becker, who realises that this often means colleagues’ family lives have to be put on the back burner. Nevertheless, it is also a “big deal” to be involved in such an important infrastructure project. “That’s motivating,” Becker is convinced and is delighted with the great progress of the construction work.
