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New Central Station for Wien "Bahnhof Wien" - presented
Translation: Gerhard Urban

Architectural correspondent Mr Gert Walden reported in the national newspaper DER STANDARD (24/25 June 1995, p.8) on a presentation by OBB and City of Vienna officials of the latest planning stage of a complete redevelopment of the present Sud/Ostbahnhof area with the aim of establishing a central rail station long overdue.

Friday, 23 June, General Director OBB, Mr Draxler and the Viennese councillor responsible for city-planning, Mr Swoboda, presented their joint plans for the first stage of conversion of the existing Sudbahnhof into a new Central Station, provisionally named "Bannhof Wien". This first stage regards commuter traffic and is planned to be into service in the next three to five years. As well as the unexpected speeding-up of the long since discussed plans of a central station has been the procedure of planning: instead of the standard two design phases only one expert hearing was held. The Zurich architect Theo Hotz has been declared winner of the contest.

Utmost priority for some 150.000 passengers daily is the cutting of transfer times between Schnellbahn mainline (S1, 52, S3, 515) and Schnellbahn lines S7, 560 and S80, as well as interchange to underground line U1 Sudtiroler Platz). Financial demand for this first construction phase is calculated as high as ATS 3 billions (ca. £; 194 millions); long distance traffic will be catered for by an extension of the building in the future

The whole area is likely to spread over some 300.000 square meters (ca. 3,25 million sq ft) which could be used for hotels, businesses, flats, etc. The new station will be placed

^rectangular to the axis of the present Sudbahn tracks (which parallel the Wiedner Glirtel)*. The station forecourt is unlikely to be better integrated than those of the present terminus, but the successive building is designed to have a great advantage: they should do without endless underground passages to link the four different track levels (!!). These are to be connected by escalator stairs and covered allover by a giant wavelike glass construction. A structure 30 meters high and formed like a girder (refer to photo) is included in the first stage.

Several voices have been beard lately, counselling the OBB management team to "clear-out their stables" before they make plans to invest lots of money they do not own in an "urban folly". One of the main concerns being mooted has been the reconciliation of the good old Vienna Central station from days long gone, as a non-starter-issue since then. Lack of professionalism in preparing the investment programme is another point of criticism

Note * Nobody seems to know how the intended station will be incorporated into the present layout without much altering and destroying of accommodation buildings (hence the enormous price?)