OEBB SUEDSTRECKE SEMMERING BASISTUNNEL

The project concerns upgrading and rehabilitation works along the South Route (“Suedstrecke”) railway infrastructure between the cities of Vienna and Graz, part of the TEN-T Baltic-Adriatic core network. The works, located on different sections along the line, include the construction of the 27-km-long Semmering base tunnel, around 20 km of track doubling, track rehabilitation of different sections, improvement of railway stations and the construction of the new Inzersdorf multimodal freight terminal in Vienna.

The project will add capacity, operational flexibility and reliability to the existing infrastructure. The removal of bottlenecks will offer the possibility for future demand to use rail instead of road. This will contribute to time savings, and also to lowering energy consumption, operating costs and the number of accidents, thus promoting sustainable transport.

Environmental impact analyses have been and will be carried out for each of the project components. Three project components have been subject to separate environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and, according to the promoter, have obtained the respective permits; this will be further investigated. The remaining project components might require particular EIAs as these might fall under Annex I or II of the EIA Directive. This, as well as any potential significant or negative impact of the project on areas included in the Natura 2000 network (according to the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC and the Birds Directive 2009/147/EC) will be assessed during appraisal. The question of the project falling within a plan or a programme requiring a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in line with Directive 2001/42/EC will also be further examined during appraisal.

The Bank will require the promoter to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project have been/will be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation (Directives 2004/18/EC and/or 2004/17/EC as well as Directives 89/665/EEC and 92/13/EEC) as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal, as and where required.