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EQOS Energie builds the basis for electrification of the Klagenfurt-Weizelsdorf railway line

13. januari 2022
  • ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG awards commission to EQOS Energie
  • Foundation work for 300 masts will start in February
  • Logistical and geological challenge in tight valley location along the river Drau
  • Important step towards the complete decarbonisation of railway traffic in Carinthia

The line between Klagenfurt and Weizelsdorf is the last non-electrified railway line in Carinthia. To ensure that trains can run on green electricity here instead of diesel, the line will be modernised in stages by 2023. EQOS Energie Österreich GmbH was commissioned by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG to construct foundations and position 300 masts along the 12 kilometres of railway line. The project volume is worth EUR 1.7 million.

Deployment of an EQOS Energie team of specialists

In February 2022, the team of specialists assembled by EQOS Energie will start the pile-driving work for the foundations. “Part of the pile-driving as well as mast positioning will be a great challenge,” said Bernhard Schuller, head of the profit center in charge in the Austrian Railway Technology division. This is because preliminary exploratory work has revealed that some special foundations will be required due to the rocky ground. Some masts can only be anchored directly in the rocks, which surround part of the railway line through the valley. On average, between 10 and 12 fitters and civil engineering experts from partner companies will be deployed for producing the conventional and the special foundations. Special expertise in operating the pile driver, in setting up the buckets and in operating the track vehicles (specifically the rail crane) and for setting up the masts will be required.

Challenging logistics

Schuller: “In the area of logistics, we are also expecting a challenging task. Any transportation of construction machinery, mixing vehicles, delivery and removal of construction supplies and excavated material is track-bound only, since there are no access roads to the tracks in some cases. The masts and buckets will also be delivered in freight cars and transported by rail to their respective construction sites. Since the line is single track only, the arrivals and departures must be coordinated precisely to avoid getting in each other’s way,” the head of EQOS Energie’s profit center said.

“I am proud that EQOS Energie can make a significant contribution to environmentally friendly mobility in Carinthia and climate protection with this project,” Carsten Kuhle, managing director and head of the Railway Technology business unit at EQOS Energie, added.

Photo: ÖBB/Pajer

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