Metro Vienne

Austria: SPIE modernises lighting and reduces energy costs for Viennese public transport

Published on 17 November 2022

Vienna, 17 November 2022 SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, is converting the lighting of Vienna public transport Wiener Linien to LEDs. The framework contract with a term of 68 months started in September 2022. Replacing around 15 000 lights altogether has the potential to ultimately save an estimated 3500 MWh of electrical power a year, which is roughly equivalent to the usage of 1,200 households.

Saving energy with LEDs

Wiener Linien commissioned SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa to replace around 15 000 luminaires in its service area with LEDs. The public transport network in the city of Vienna, which is operated by Wiener Linien, comprises more than 80 kilometres of underground rail lines, 880 kilometres of bus lines and a tram network extending over 170 kilometres. Nearly two million passengers a day travel by public transport. Excellent lighting in all areas is extremely important to make passengers feel safe and at ease. There are currently around 250 000 lights illuminating the service area of Wiener Linien. This results in a significant energy usage and high energy costs, but these can be reduced considerably by switching to LEDs.  

Saving energy is more relevant than ever. I’m very pleased that we got the tender to modify the lighting systems early on. In SPIE CEMA we found a highly capable partner - we are now looking at making an expected saving of 450 MWh a year by as early as the end of 2022,” said Manuel Hartmann, project manager at Wiener Linien. 

Saving energy and using energy as efficiently as possible is our core business as a multi-technical service provider for buildings, facilities and infrastructure. This commission, which will allow us to provide sustainable support to our long-standing customer Wiener Linien, is a perfect fit with our portfolio,” added Gerald Edler, Managing Director of SPIE CEMA, a unit within the City Networks & Grids operational division of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.  

Uninterrupted underground rail operation

The extensive framework contract with SPIE does not just involve replacing lights over the next 68 months. In many places, the existing luminaires will first have to be modified so that LED lights can be used. So as not to interrupt underground rail operations, the team led by Siegfried Schierl, project manager at SPIE CEMA, is primarily working at night between 1:00 and 4:00 during the period of operational inactivity.

We are very familiar with the requirements associated with work on the underground rail network, including from other projects we have undertaken for Wiener Linien. The main challenge is reconciling uninterrupted operations for millions of passengers with workplace safety for our employees – a feat that we will achieve again in this project thanks to our meticulous planning and our excellent working relationship with the network operators at Wiener Linien,” said Siegfried Schierl.

A trusting partnership

SPIE CEMA and Wiener Linien have already been working together successfully since 1999 within the framework of various master agreements, but also on major projects such as the current U2/U5 underground rail expansion. “Over the 20 or more years of working together, a trusting partnership has developed between SPIE CEMA and Wiener Linien. That said, every tender presents a new challenge for us. Many thanks to the team who submitted such a strong bid for an important project such as this – now we have to match our words with deeds”, Gerald Edler proudly states. 
 

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