Koram Railway contract to Keller Group

expat network

Koram Railway contract to Keller Group

UK-based ground engineer Keller Group has won a major contract related to the new Koralm railway line through the Austrian mountains between Graz and Klagenfurt (pictured).

The contract, valued at $35.3m (€31.2m), involves jet grouting, bored piling and anchor works as part of soil preparation for a tunnel that will be Austria’s longest.

Work starts in the second quarter of 2015 and is scheduled to run for around two years, Keller said.

The Koralm railway will be a 130-kilometre twin-track line that makes a new connection between the cities of Klagenfurt and Graz, reducing the journey time between them by mountain road from three hours to about 60 minutes.

The scheme is important for mobility in southern Austria because, currently, trains from Vienna go directly either to Klagenfurt or to Graz, so the Koralm Railway will make a continuous link between the three cities.

The new railway is estimated to cost €11bn ($13.8bn), according to Railway Technology.com.

The centrepiece of the project is the 32.9-km Koralm tunnel – which will be Austria’s longest – with two new Intercity railway stations at its portals.

“This contract win, which involves a number of different products and requires significant specialist skills, is a testament to the technical excellence of Keller’s market leading business in Austria,” Keller chief executive Justin Atkinson stated.

With annual revenue of around $2.5bn (£1.6bn), Keller has approximately 9,000 staff world-wide.

Source: Global Construction Review

Link: http://tinyurl.com/lx249ku

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

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Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

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Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.