Press Release
Felbermayr moves tunnel boring machine “Debohra”
Wels, 16 October 2025 – In a three-part epic, Felbermayr relocated central components of the tunnel boring machine “Debohra” from Augustinplatz to Matzleinsdorfer Platz in Vienna. Using a tandem lift as well as a four-axle tractor unit and a ten-axle semi low-loader, the multi-tonne components were moved across the city on an approximately eleven-kilometre route at the end of September. The meticulously orchestrated masterpiece, executed down to the smallest detail, ensures the continued construction of the second U2 tunnel tube.
The tunnel boring machine “Debohra” is a one-of-a-kind construction, manufactured by the German tunnelling specialist Herrenknecht. The cutterhead measures around seven metres in diameter, while the machine itself weighs about 1,300 tonnes and, in its operational configuration, reaches a total length of more than 120 metres. With a drive power of 1.92 megawatts, equivalent to 2,600 horsepower, it cuts its way metre by metre through the underground of Vienna with its immense cutterhead.
Three nights, three lifts, three transports
For Debohra to resume work on the new tunnelling section, it first had to be partially dismantled, loaded, and transported back to Matzleinsdorfer Platz above ground. The central chapter of this epic was thus written by the experts of Felbermayr’s Transport and Lifting Technology division, who lifted these enormous components at Augustinplatz and manoeuvred them through Vienna by night.
The operation began with the nearly 73-tonne cutterhead drive unit, which was lifted and loaded using a 400-tonne crane. Only one night later followed the heart of the machine – the 78-tonne cutterhead. Due to its dimensions, the component had to be lifted in a tandem operation, with the 400-tonne crane supported by a 250-tonne crane during the turning and lowering process. On the third day, the so-called tail shield, weighing 34 tonnes and measuring nearly seven metres in diameter, was lifted and transported. “Such transports cannot be improvised; they are planned months in advance down to the smallest detail,” explains Thomas Daxelmüller, Deputy Branch Manager at Lanzendorf and Project Manager on behalf of Felbermayr. “It’s not enough to simply lift the load and drive off. We have to consider every junction, every bottleneck, every height restriction beforehand.”
Tandem lift in Vienna by night
In the evening, as the Danube metropolis slowly quiets down, the tandem lift begins. Slinging, pre-tensioning, load testing – then the cutterhead rises millimetre by millimetre from the ground. Kept in perfect balance at its centre of gravity and synchronised between both cranes, the cutterhead remains stable until the component finds its place on the prepared ten-axle semi low-loader. Subsequently, the four-axle tractor unit set off – escorted by police vehicles, secured by escort cars and flanked by Felbermayr specialists keeping a close eye on obstacles along the route.
The transport route led roughly eleven kilometres across the city – past Lugner City, against the flow of traffic along the Gürtel, continuing towards Schönbrunn Palace, and finally back into the city centre to Matzleinsdorfer Platz. For this operation, sections of intersections had to be closed, lampposts and traffic signs temporarily removed, and several no-parking zones established before the convoy reached its destination at around three o’clock in the morning. “When a seven-metre-wide component rolls through a metropolis, you can feel the scale of the project with every metre,” describes Division and Project Manager Gabriel Asböck, adding: “For onlookers, it might seem like a spectacle – for us, it means maximum precision and concentration.”
In addition to orchestrating both cranes and the transport unit, it is above all the experts from Felbermayr’s Transport and Lifting Technology division who guide the components safely through the inner-city corridor – especially in narrow streets and tight corners. “Lifting and transporting these components is like dancing the waltz,” says Asböck. “Lead, posture, rotation – they must be internalised and executed precisely. If even one step is out of rhythm, the figure may topple. Only with a well-rehearsed team and excellent cooperation with the authorities can such choreography succeed.”
U2xU5: Vienna’s public transport network continues to grow
With the successful transport of all three components, Debohra is now once again ready for operation at Matzleinsdorfer Platz. There, the tunnel boring machine will continue its work on the second tunnel tube – its task being the construction of the new U2 line from the existing Rathaus station to Matzleinsdorfer Platz. Together with the new U5, this forms the U2xU5 expansion – one of Vienna’s largest infrastructure projects. The first tunnel tube was already completed in summer 2025. With an advance rate of up to ten metres per day, it progresses step by step towards Augustinplatz. In total, twelve new stations and around eleven kilometres of tunnel are being created. “When you’re moving such a machine through Vienna in the middle of the night, you can’t help but think about the bigger picture,” reflects Daxelmüller. “We’re building the infrastructure for the coming decades – and I’m proud to see how our company contributes significantly to it with its expertise.”
About Felbermayr
Felbermayr Holding GmbH, headquartered in Wels, Austria, operates across 81 locations in 17 European countries. The Felbermayr Group currently employs around 3,300 skilled professionals who generated a consolidated net turnover of approximately EUR 683 million in 2024. The company specialises in special and heavy transport, mobile crane and work platform rental, heavy lift handling, as well as structural, civil and hydraulic engineering, specialist foundation engineering and various construction-related services.
Contact for enquiries: Moritz Glück, BA - Marketing Felbermayr Holding GmbH - Voralpenstraße 4 · A-4600 Wels - Tel.: +43 5 0695-10269 - E-Mail: moritz.glueck@felbermayr.cc
