Editing Semmering Pass (section)

==Rail transportation==
As the Semmering is a major bottleneck in the [[Austria]]n [[railway]] network, the [[Semmering Railway]], which is a UNESCO [[World Heritage]] site, is planned to be supplemented by a [[Semmering Base Tunnel|tunnel]] at the base of the mountains. The project is supported by the Austrian Federal Government and the governments of Styria and [[Carinthia (state)|Carinthia]], but has been heavily opposed by the government of Lower Austria, which stalled the project by issuing negative [[environmental impact statement]]s. The project has now been revised according to the advanced state of technology and the layout of the line has been altered in order to minimize effects on [[ground water]].

A ground-breaking ceremony was held at [[Gloggnitz]] on April 25, 2012 to officially launch preliminary construction works for the 27.3&nbsp;km [[Semmering Base Tunnel]]. Opening is planned for 2030. The €3·1bn base tunnel between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag is a key part of the 'new Südbahn' project. It will eliminate the current bottleneck on the 41&nbsp;km Semmering Railway route where steep gradients and numerous curves require freight trains to use two or three locomotives.

The tunnel will comprise two 10 m bores between 40 and 70 m apart, linked by cross passages every 500m. Boring is planned to start in 2014, with excavation completed ready for fitting out from 2021. The tunnel will be designed for passenger trains to run at up to 230&nbsp;km/h, shortening Vienna - Graz journey times by 40 min to 1 h 50 min, which is expected to attract more customers to rail.

[[Image:2004 Austria 25 Euro 150 Years Semmering Alpine Railway back.jpg|thumb|left|120px|Austria 25 Euro 150 Years Semmering Alpine Railway Coin]]