Test bores of 11km have now been completed on the 20km-long central
section of the 32.9km twin-bore tunnel, and construction will begin in
the second or third quarter of next year. Construction is already
underway at the Graz end of the tunnel and tendering for the western
section will begin next year. The Euros 3.3 billion tunnel will be the
final section of the Koralm line to be completed when it opens in 2020.

Around half of the 130km line is either under construction or has
already been completed, and around Euros 1.1 billion has now been spent
on the project, according to ÖBB Infrastructure CEO Mr Andreas Matthä.
The 200km/h line will open in sections and once fully completed, will
reduce journey times between Graz and Klagenfurt from nearly three
hours to less than an hour.