The president of Austria opened Vienna’s new main train station last month following a five-year project that cost over € 1 billion. The new station, which stands on the site of the former Vienna Südbahnhof, connects passengers with other Austrian major cities and destinations in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and Poland. It will begin receiving international arrivals in December.
Although new streets have been built to connect the station to the city’s road network, there is no direct route for car traffic through the site. Instead, an underpass and two bridges provide connections for cyclists, pedestrians and public transport users. The station is served by Line D of Vienna’s tram network, Line 1 of the city’s metro system and five suburban train lines.
The station makes further provision for sustainable modes of transport, offering 1 150 bicycle stands compared to 630 parking spaces cars. In future, more infrastructure for alternative modes of transport will be created around the station, such as bridge with lanes and paths for pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles, scheduled for completion in 2015.
The new station is the showpiece of a € 4 billion major regeneration project that covers around 109 ha in Vienna’s 8th district. The development includes a 20,000 sq ft shopping centre with 90 shops and 5 000 new apartments.
Original author: Lewis Macdonald
