With the commissioning of the Koralm Tunnel, the centerpiece of the Koralm Railway was recently unveiled. Behind this, however, is decades of railroad planning that goes far beyond the tunnel and forms the basis for the operation of the entire southern Austrian railroad network.
The BERNARD Gruppe has accompanied the Koralm Railway since its earliest development phases. Our specialists from various fields have already been involved in route finding and project preparation during the first inspections on the greenfield site. Subsequently, we have been responsible for the permit application design under railroad law in the sections Feldkirchen – Wettmannstätten and Wettmannstätten – St. Andrä, including the railroad engineering planning, the land acquisition documents and the accompanying landscape conservation planning. In addition, our services included drainage planning, the planning of noise barriers, embankments and accompanying paths as well as the preparation of the contract documents.
A key focus was on the planning of central rail infrastructure. These include the Hengsberg stop, the Wettmannstätten station and the Weststeiermark station as well as their functional integration into the overall Koralm Railway system, including the connection to the tunnels of Hengsberg and Koralm. Building on these foundations, the BERNARD Gruppe took over the permit application and execution design from Hengsberg to the Koralm Tunnel, including the station in Western Styria. Other services included the planning of changes to the railroad permit application design in the Mittlern – Althofen section in Carinthia, the execution design of the overhead sections from the tunnel of Stein to the bridge over the Drau River.
In addition to the railroad-related work, the BERNARD Gruppe was commissioned with the planning and site supervision of the technical equipment as well as the tunnel design, construction management and site supervision.
This generational project underlines the high level of interdisciplinarity and continuity of the BERNARD Gruppe. The continuous planning over many decades required close coordination between disciplines, authorities, and project participants. It shows how complex railway projects can be successfully realised through long-term perspectives, technical precision, and responsible action
With the start of planning for the Koralm Railway in 2004, the BERNARD Gruppe site in Graz was founded at the same time. The project is therefore not only a central element of the Austrian railroad infrastructure, but is also closely linked to the development of our company. The Koralm Railway is an example of engineering work that makes mobility sustainable and connects regions in the long term.
Peter Kastner, BERNARD Gruppe
