Partial closure of Vienna’s U2 subway line until fall 2023

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Since May 31, 2021 the major U2 update started, preparing the existing U2 for operation of the new, fully automated U5 subway line.

For this reason, the U2 will only run between Seestadt and Schottentor. Service between Schottentor and Karlsplatz will be discontinued. The reason is the extensive work for the construction of the U2/U5 line interchange.

Announcements have been alerting passengers to the impending partial closure for some time now. In the future, the U5 will travel on the section that will soon no longer be in service, connecting Karlsplatz and Frankhplatz from 2026 in the first expansion phase. Among other things, the section will be equipped with glass walls and doors on the platform, as the U5 will be operated fully automatically – i.e. without any driving personnel.

May 31, 2021 to fall 2023: U2 runs between Seestadt and Schottentor
From May 31, 2021 to fall 2023, the U2 can therefore only run between Seestadt and Schottentor stations. A wide range of replacement and additional services will ensure that you can continue to reach your destinations in Vienna’s city center easily.

However, in order to compensate for the loss of capacity during the long shutdown, the U1 will also be reinforced during peak hours.

Vienna Lines
U2/U5: Underground mixed traffic in Vienna until 2028
The reconstruction of the U2 subway line would not have been possible during ongoing operations, Wiener Linien assure. A total of 144 platform screen doors and around 16,000 square meters of glass surfaces will be built in the stations Rathaus, Volkstheater, Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz.

The U2 will return to its “old” section once the closure ends – in other words, it will use the completely redesigned stations that were actually modernized for the U5. Starting in 2026, a rare event will occur, at least for Vienna: parallel operation of the subway. Because the turquoise U5 line will then also run on this section alongside the U2. Something similar happened for a short time in the early 1980s, when the U2 temporarily ran the U4 line.

According to the current status, the mixed traffic will end in 2028. The U2 will then branch off at the City Hall and head for Matzleinsdorfer Platz – via the new stops Neubaugasse, Pilgramgasse and Reinprechtsdorfer Straße.