Transformation and innovation secure the Rhomberg Group's future

P R E S S   R E L E A S E

Transformation and innovation secure the Rhomberg Group's future
Rail engineering division delivers moderate Group growth – construction business remains challenging – Integrated solutions for greater efficiency, cost-effectiveness and a clear competitive advantage

Bregenz, 16 October 2026 – Founded in 1886, the Rhomberg Group continued its positive development in the 140th year of its existence, despite a challenging market environment. As at the reporting date of 31 March 2026, the Rhomberg Group's total output (including the Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, in which Swiss entrepreneur Konrad Schnyder holds a 50 per cent stake) reached Ꞓ1.42 billion, slightly above the previous year's Ꞓ1.4 billion. The workforce increased slightly from around 4,000 to more than 4,100 employees.

Rail grows – construction under pressure
The Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (RSRG) continued its dynamic growth trajectory. Operating output rose to Ꞓ898 million, ten per cent above the previous year (2024/25: Ꞓ816 million). As expected, the picture in construction is somewhat different: the persistent economic slowdown continues to put pressure on the construction industry, as reflected in the business figures. Rhomberg Bau's operating output fell by just under eleven per cent, from Ꞓ584 million to Ꞓ521 million.

Mag. Ernst Thurnher, Managing Director of the Rhomberg Group, expects conditions in the construction sector to remain difficult: ‘High construction costs, elevated interest rates and uncertainty in the global economy are shaping a volatile market environment. This particularly affects our self-financed residential developments.’ It is therefore all the more important, he says, to build deliberately on the Group's proven strengths.

Reliable partner for non-profit housing
As a positive example, Thurnher points to the general contracting business in residential construction, which is in particularly high demand in Vorarlberg: ‘We are the only construction company working with all five non-profit housing associations active in Vorarlberg to create affordable homes. This shows that we are the right partner when it comes to delivery experience, high quality standards and the shared goal of creating affordable housing.’ Over the past year, projects were delivered not only for long-standing clients such as Alpenländische (AGW), Wohnbauselbsthilfe and Vogewosi. In June 2026, the ground-breaking ceremony for 53 subsidised homes in Feldkirch marked the BWS Group's entry into the Vorarlberg market. ÖSW Wohnbauvereinigung is also delivering its first project in Lauterach with Rhomberg Bau.

The Group's expertise is also in demand beyond Vorarlberg: construction began last November on BUWOG's new Südtiroler-Quartier in Salzburg-Liefering, comprising ten commercial units and around 400 homes, approximately one third of which are subsidised rental properties. Other strong business areas in Vorarlberg include employee housing, refurbishment projects and developments for investors.

Full-service provider strategy: integrated rather than isolated
The Rhomberg Bau Group's strategic objective is to be a reliable full-service partner for clients throughout the entire lifecycle of buildings and infrastructure – from responsible resource use and the circular economy to digital planning using Building Information Modelling, digital simulations and smart building concepts, through to delivery with proprietary products such as PLATO, which creates flexible living space above car parks, and the advantages of Rhomberg's timber construction system. During operation, the company's CLARA building management system ensures maximum efficiency by supporting integrated energy concepts with intelligent monitoring and continuous optimisation. Alongside proven solutions for refurbishment and deconstruction, the portfolio also includes innovative repurposing concepts. The YOND Campus in Zurich is a flagship project for future-ready commercial property: intelligently transformed industrial buildings from the 1950s combine with high-quality new buildings to provide 35,000 m² of modular commercial and production space. ‘Especially in challenging times, we invest in future growth areas and technologies,’ Thurnher emphasises. ‘Our ability to shape change actively gives us the agility we need.’

Goldbeck Rhomberg has now been successfully established in the market for 25 years. Despite the challenging environment, the floor area delivered by the full-service provider for serial and component-based construction remained stable over the past year. In Wolfurt, the new IT and logistics centre for Gebrüder Weiss, with its demanding technical, spatial and operational requirements, was completed. The company was also awarded the contract to expand Doppelmayr's site at Hohe Brücke. With the CH One Data Centre in Switzerland, Goldbeck Rhomberg is also delivering a project in a high-growth segment.

The Group's own Ressourcen Center Rheintal also contributes to operating output. Its raw materials extraction and recycling specialists are currently involved in the Feldkirch City Tunnel project, transporting the rock excavated during tunnel driving – up to one million tonnes – and processing it for further use.

A Swiss success story
In Switzerland, the full-service provider strategy is particularly effective: Rhomberg Bau AG consistently takes a holistic approach to property. This has resulted in a new one-stop offering that opens up new possibilities for clients and is unique in the market in both breadth and depth. The replacement development built for UBS Sima on Anna-Heer-Strasse in Zurich exemplifies modern housing that can be delivered more efficiently, sustainably and cost-effectively through the sponge-city principle and integrated project delivery (Design Build). Planning and construction are closely coordinated from the outset, with the various disciplines involved early in the planning process. The result is a future-ready residential development that has received Platinum certification under the Swiss Sustainable Building Standard (SNBS) and meets demanding environmental and social requirements.

The premium residential sector in particular demonstrates that high-quality developments with thoughtful planning, first-class execution and attractive locations remain in demand even in a challenging market. ‘The Mont Rêves new-build project in Burgberg in the Allgäu region, comprising 14 homes and being delivered by Rhomberg Bau Deutschland together with our timber construction specialist Sohm Holzbau, is virtually sold out,’ says Ernst Thurnher. ‘The modern terraced apartment building at Vienna's Funkhaus, constructed using a hybrid timber system, is also attracting considerable interest.’

Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group: growth depends on people
The rail division once again demonstrates its resilience. High levels of investment by rail operators and the public sector continue. ‘For us, the biggest challenge is not so much the volume of orders as recruiting qualified specialists,’ emphasises DI Bmst. Hubert Rhomberg, Managing Director of the Rhomberg Group, ‘particularly with a view to our future development.’

To continue meeting strong international demand as a capable full-service provider, RSRG is systematically developing its locations. Investments of around Ꞓ60 million in Wels (Austria), Spremberg (Germany) and Landquart (Switzerland) will provide, among other things, new track maintenance halls, additional manufacturing and storage space, and office and multi-purpose buildings. The Group also expanded at the end of last year through its stake in Emeran Braun GmbH & Co KG. Based in Krailing near Munich, the company brings considerable expertise in track construction, points and crossings, and civil engineering, creating tangible added value for clients.

Innovations for efficiency, cost-effectiveness and longevity
This added value is further enhanced by ongoing product innovations, as customers recently confirmed at the international InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin. With its approach to ‘combined maintenance’ of railway track infrastructure at operating facilities and stabling yards, RSRG helps infrastructure operators extend the service life of railway assets and use resources more efficiently. The new Ground Shield Foundation method enables foundations for railway and noise protection structures to be installed quickly and cost-effectively, with immediate load-bearing capacity.

On the Aumühle section of DB InfraGO's Hamburg–Berlin high-performance corridor, the company's own automated construction progress monitoring system demonstrates the capabilities of digital site monitoring. ‘The Q-tainer uses AI to process sensor data, GPS signals and drone footage automatically, making the results available to the project team in real time – for precise progress monitoring and efficient project management,’ explains Rhomberg. A digital twin also ensures seamless data integration, coordination of all trades, and reliable scheduling and cost control on the Semmering Base Tunnel, where RSRG and the PORR Group are installing the railway systems. And on the Sydney Metro project, the internally developed Tunnel Concrete Placement Unit (CPU) enables concrete to be placed and finished safely and economically, even in confined working areas.

An alliance partner in demand
Project tenders and contracts are becoming increasingly extensive and long-term. ‘We are particularly proud to be the only company involved in all of Deutsche Bahn's alliance projects,’ says Hubert Rhomberg. At the Pfaffensteig Tunnel on the northern Gäubahn expansion, RSRG and joint venture partner Swietelsky Bau are responsible for trackwork and power supply. On the Residenzbahn project, together with Reif Bauunternehmung, RSRG is responsible for earthworks and civil engineering, cable-related civil works, track construction and railway systems. RSRG has also been commissioned to install the railway systems on an approach section of the Fixed Fehmarnbelt Link, the high-capacity rail connection between Denmark and Germany. Meanwhile, the ‘New Cottbus Workshop’, Deutsche Bahn's first project delivered under the rail partnership model, is nearing completion: the first train due for overhaul is scheduled to enter the second hall of the new ICE maintenance depot in Cottbus in February 2027.

The collaboration between Rhomberg Sersa Ireland and Ireland's national railway operator, Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann), which began in 2019 and covers support for rail-mounted construction machinery, has also been extended by a further ten years.

Whether in rail or construction, transformation and innovation are deeply embedded in the Rhomberg Group's DNA and, for Hubert Rhomberg, form the foundation for tomorrow's success: ‘Of course, we are aware of the current challenges in our markets. At the same time, we are consistently using this period to develop further as an integrated solutions provider for the property and mobility of the future.’ Through targeted investment in locations, new developments and expertise, the Group is strengthening its long-term position in the growth markets of rail, energy, housing and the circular economy.

About the Rhomberg Group
The Rhomberg Group, headquartered in Bregenz, Austria, operates in construction, resources and rail engineering. Founded in 1886, the fourth-generation family-owned business currently employs more than 4,100 people and has offices and subsidiaries in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Canada, the USA, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark. The holding company is managed by Hubert Rhomberg and Ernst Thurnher.
Sustainability is firmly embedded in the company's philosophy – from taking a holistic lifecycle approach to buildings and using resources responsibly to strengthening rail transport. To this end, the Rhomberg Group embraces the opportunities offered by technological progress and digitalisation, as well as partnerships. In the 2025/26 financial year, the Rhomberg Group generated operating output of Ꞓ521 million in its ‘Construction and Resources’ division. The Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group, in which Rhomberg and Swiss entrepreneur Konrad Schnyder each hold a 50 per cent stake, generated operating output of Ꞓ898 million.

For further information, visit www.rhomberg.com.