Vienna’s U2 U-Bahn line is set to resume full service between Seestadt and Karlsplatz stations this autumn following an extended closure, the city’s transit authority announced.
The segment between Schottentor and Karlsplatz stations, which has been shut for three years, will reopen in September. The reopening comes a year behind the initial schedule due to unforeseen construction challenges, according to Wiener Linien. It remains unclear if these delays have resulted in additional costs.
Deborah Giehrl, a spokesperson for Wiener Linien, told ORF, “During this time, the line section was extensively modernised and prepared for the operation of the new fully automatic U5. For example, there are the new fully automatic platform screen doors, which will be used on the U5 in future.”
Wiener Linien is also working on the creation of a new U-Bahn line, the U5, Vienna’s first in decades. This line will be interconnected with the U2.
The U2 renovation project involved renewing the track system across the entire section, with a total of 4.8 kilometres of track replaced. Additionally, 144 platform screen doors and approximately 16,000 square metres of glass surfaces were installed.
The U-Bahn’s train control technology has been upgraded in preparation for the fully automatic operation of the U5. The first section of the U5, running between Karlsplatz and Frankhplatz, is scheduled to open in 2026. The completion of the entire U2/U5 project, which will extend the U2 line to Wienerberg in southern Vienna, is anticipated by 2035 at the latest.