City of Vienna Advances €6 Billion U2xU5 Subway Megaproject with Next-Generation Siemens X-Wagen Metro Fleet

Vienna's Largest Public Transport Undertaking in Modern History

VIENNA, Austria — Advancing one of the most sophisticated civil engineering undertakings in Central Europe, the City of Vienna and municipal transport operator Wiener Linien are accelerating heavy underground construction across the landmark €6 billion U2xU5 subway intersection and network expansion. The megaproject delivers a fundamental restructuring of Vienna's rapid transit grid, creating the city's first-ever fully automated, driverless underground line—the U5—while rerouting the busy U2 line south toward Matzleinsdorfer Platz.

Financed equally by the Federal Government of Austria and the City of Vienna, the U2xU5 expansion is projected to increase total mass transit system capacity by over 300 million passenger journeys annually. By creating vital new underground interchange hubs and offering rapid transit alternatives across densely populated inner districts, the expansion will eliminate up to 75,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, underpinning Vienna's legally binding target to achieve climate neutrality by 2040.

Deployment of the Next-Generation Siemens Mobility X-Wagen Fleet

The operational spearhead of this subterranean modernization is the continuous delivery and deployment of 34 state-of-the-art X-Wagen (Type X) metro trainsets, designed and assembled locally by Siemens Mobility at their plant in Vienna-Simmering. Measuring 111.25 metres in length and 2.85 metres in width, each six-car continuous walk-through articulated train provides capacity for 928 passengers (200 seated and 728 standing)—an increase of 46 passengers over previous generations.

The X-Wagen is engineered for maximum operational versatility. Currently operating in driver-operated service across the existing U1, U2, U3, and U4 lines, the trainsets feature modular driving cabs that can be effortlessly decommissioned in the future. This design allows seamless transition to Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) driverless operations when the automated U5 opens between Karlsplatz and the brand-new terminal at Frankhplatz.

World-First Air-Free Braking and Passenger Information Plus

Technologically, the Siemens X-Wagen represents a global engineering breakthrough as the first metro train in the world equipped with an electromechanical 'air-free' braking system. By replacing conventional compressed air lines and pneumatic valves with direct electric actuators, the system significantly reduces mechanical complexity, cuts tare vehicle weight, eliminates seasonal pneumatic freezing risks, and drastically lowers lifecycle maintenance expenditures.

Passenger experience inside the carriages is elevated by the groundbreaking Passenger Information Plus (PI+) system. Positioned directly above every passenger doorway, dynamic ultra-wide high-resolution digital displays broadcast dynamic route maps in real time, displaying elevator and escalator orientations at approaching stations, connecting tram and bus departure timetables, and optimal car boarding recommendations to optimize passenger platform distribution.

Subterranean Platform Screen Doors and Climate-Friendly Engineering

In preparation for driverless GoA4 operations, civil contractors are installing full-height automated platform screen doors (PSDs) across underground stations along the U5 corridor, notably at Rathaus and Frankhplatz. Engineered to synchronize to the millisecond with X-Wagen train arrivals, the screen doors prevent accidental platform falls, regulate tunnel airflow, and eliminate track delays caused by foreign objects.

Built with more than 90 percent recyclable materials, high-efficiency LED ambient illumination, and regenerative braking that recirculates electrical energy into the 750V DC third-rail grid, the X-Wagen fleet and the U2xU5 megaproject set an international gold standard for clean, automated, and high-capacity urban mass transit.