Due to the sudden increase in passengers, ÖBB has already cleared trains several times this year. This caused a wave of outrage in Austria. “I want to apologize for that,” said ÖBB boss Andreas Matthä on Thursday at the presentation of the new winter timetables. Matthä confirmed that federal railways want to invest 4.1 billion euros by 2030 in new sets and the renewal of existing trains. This will increase the capacity in long-distance traffic by 30 percent.
However, regarding the evacuation of trains in the spring and early summer at the time, Matthä put it into perspective by saying that there was no fundamental capacity problem and customers were asked to transfer to other trains. It hurts, but the call remains: “Please reserve a seat if you want a certain train at a certain time.”
62 new trains for the eastern region
New Railjets and Nightjets are currently in production. The first Nightjets to Italy should be in service at the end of summer 2023. In addition, from the spring of 2024, all Railjets from the existing fleet will be modernized in terms of design, interior and technology. For local transport, 21 Cityjet double-decker sets still have to be ordered. A total of 62 new trains would come for the eastern region. The first Cityjet Desiro ML trains for Vorarlberg will be deployed in December and the first new Cityjets will be on the rails in Tyrol from August 2023, according to Matthä.
“Customer satisfaction increased to 76 percent”
In any case, customer satisfaction has risen to 76 percent overall, says Matthä, who supported this with data from a survey. According to Matthä, there were more ÖBB passengers than ever in long-haul transport this summer. “We are experiencing a real railway boom.” At the beginning of this year, the number of travelers declined due to the corona.
Corona low overcome
They normalized in the second quarter and in the summer months, long-haul transport recorded a 17.7 percent increase compared to the pre-corona summer of 2019. In June, July and August, 12.22 million long-distance travelers were counted, more than ever before. The absolute low in recent years was recorded with 6.24 million passengers in the summer of 2020, which was mainly dominated by the corona pandemic.
There is a somewhat opposite trend in local transport. The minus is currently around 10 percent compared to 2019. “That means that we will not achieve the passenger record of 2019 this year,” says Matthä.
Timetable change throughout Europe on December 11
On Thursday, ÖBB also presented its plans for the Europe-wide timetable change on December 11. There are several extensions in night travel. For example, Nightjets from Vienna and Munich, which previously ended in Milan, are being extended to Genoa. During the day, for example, some Austrian provincial capitals need to be better connected with new early and late connections on weekends.
There are also tourist IC connections. From the Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof in Vienna there are daily direct trains to Prague via Gmünd and South Bohemia. On weekends, the new connection is even offered twice a day. For commuters, there will be a new pair of Railjets between Mallnitz in Carinthia (Spittal district) and Salzburg Central Station.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
