Westbahnstrasse Tram Track Reconstruction

As I mentioned in previous posts the Wiener Linien has been rebuilding the tram tracks in our neighborhood this past month. I am putting lots of the photos on my website and also several movies. I now have five movies of the construction process on YouTube, above is one of them. I will write another post when the website is finished.

Westbahnstrasse Tram Track Reconstruction Pages

I've been working on my website pages that illustrate the reconstruction of the tram tracks on Westbahnstrasse (Vienna) near our house. The project is almost over and has been fascinating to watch.

Here's my Westbahnstrasse Tram Track Reconstruction Homepage with links to my pages on Construction signs and artistic photos.

Let me know what you think!

Bicycle Detour Sign

Here's a sign showing the detour route for bicycles around the streetcar track reconstruction project in our neighborhood. While Vienna doesn't have Europe's best bicycle network, they take what they have pretty seriously. I think it's great that they would go to the trouble of signing an alternate route.

Most bikers don't seem to have used the detour, they have walked their bikes on the sidewalk around the construction (they want to see the work going on just like everyone else!).

Westbahnstrasse Tram Track Reconstruction

Our local tram (US: streetcar) line has been closed for a little over a week while the Wiener Linien rebuilds the track. The work has been going on for about three weeks (the trams kept running for the first couple weeks) and will continue until early next week.


Track maintenance is a massive undertaking, they started by tearing out everything until they reached the dirt (about 70 cm, 2.5 feet), then they rebuilt it step by step. First repairing the sub-base, next building a new poured concrete track support system, then replacing the tracks and finally placing a new roadway surface (prefabricated sections).

They are working on approximately three blocks this summer, doing one block at a time. The first block is finished, the second is just about finished and they started on the third block yesterday. They are also replacing a shorter section at Westbahnstrasse and Kaiser Strasse which involves a tram line crossing - the photo above is from that construction.

Here's a link to my 230 (so far) Flickr photos of Westbahnstrasse tram track rehabilitation.

I also have been filming some of the action, I will make a website with the best photos and films in the coming months.