Background During the 1990s, interest arose in the redevelopment of
Vienna's railway stations, particularly the
Südbahnhof and Ostbahnhof termini, which were at right-angles to one another. During 2009, ÖBB Infrastruktur awarded a €220 million contract for the station's construction to a consortium led by Strabag; at this point, it was intended for the first stage of the project to have been completed by 2013, while the finalisation of the overall project was due to occur during 2015. The railway infrastructure for the project was largely built by a
joint venture between Arge Östu-Stettin and HOCHTIEF Construction, while the station's diamond-shaped roof was installed by UNGER Steel. That year, work began on building the rail infrastructure at the station. In excess of of concrete was used in the construction of the structure's baseplate as well as the entrance to the underground garage. During December 2012, the station attained a partial operational status, coinciding with a timetable shakeup on 9 December and the induction of some new alignments; as a result, both regional and S-Bahn services began using platforms 9–12, while long-distance trains continued to not stop at the station. On the morning of 10 October 2014, Wien Hauptbahnhof was formally inaugurated in a ceremony held at the station, officiated by
Austrian President Heinz Fischer. At one point, it was expected that the Hauptbahnhof would be able to fully open during December 2014, however delays were encountered, attributed to difficulties in the completion of a key footbridge, which meant the station was not fully operational until December 2015. The station has a total of five island platforms, each with 2 sides, for a total of 10 platforms. These five islands are complete with striking canopies, measuring roughly 210 metres in length and between in height; the canopies are built on top of a
welded and
bolted steel framework, covered by Alucobond
composite panels, and supported at intervals by transverse solid concrete frames, which are clad in sheet
steel. To facilitate a high rate of pedestrian movement across the station, a total of 29
escalators and 14
elevators are present to provide full step-free access to all areas. By moving the main access to
Südtiroler Platz, the new station is better connected to the
Vienna U-Bahn system, and is also accessible by
Vienna S-Bahn,
tram and bus lines. The Südtiroler Platz S-Bahn station was renamed Wien Hauptbahnhof (platforms 1 and 2) in December 2012. == Train services ==