Summer closures of rail routes due to construction works in Vienna and Lower Austria will conclude on time, Austrian Railways (ÖBB) has confirmed.

In a statement issued on Thursday, ÖBB said the start of the school year on 2 September will mark the reopening of the S-Bahn mainline between Vienna Praterstern and Vienna Floridsdorf, as well as the stretch between Bad Vöslau and Leobersdorf in Lower Austria.

During the summer break, a total of 21.7 kilometres of new track were laid on both the S-Bahn mainline and the southern rail line, with 490 workers involved in the project.

However, ÖBB emphasised that the work is far from complete. Further closures will be required on the section between Vienna Praterstern and Vienna Floridsdorf during the summers of 2025 and 2026. From September 2026 until October 2027, the stretch between Vienna Hauptbahnhof and Vienna Praterstern will be closed. The project is expected to near completion by the end of 2027, with a final closure planned for November and December of that year between Vienna Rennweg and Vienna Meidling.

Meanwhile, Vienna’s transit authority, Wiener Linien, announced that full service will resume on the U4 underground line between Schwedenplatz and Schottenring. Normal operations will also return to tram lines O, 2, 26 and 31, which had been partially disrupted over the summer due to construction works.

Construction work at Matzleinsdorfer Platz is also in its final stages, with new staircases and lifts now installed. Wiener Linien will invest €223 million throughout 2024 in modernising its infrastructure, including the renewal of over 8.6 kilometres of existing track.