Semmering Tunnel now six years late

ORIGINALLY due to open in 2024, the new Semmering Base Tunnel being built in Austria under the Alps on the line between Vienna and Graz/ Klagenfurt, is now at least six years late.

Major technical and geological problems have been encountered with the partly-built tunnel, including flooding at one point when a spring was encountered.

While 23km of the 27.3km tunnel has been excavated, the opening date has been pushed back from the previous estimate of 2028 to 2030.