Graffiti flood on rail systems: 4.5 million euros damage to ÖBB!

Graffiti flood on rail systems: 4.5 million euros damage to ÖBB!

Ostregion, Österreich - Last year (2024), graffiti vandalism on the ÖBB's trains caused a devastating damage of a whopping 4.5 million euros. The earlier record of EUR 3.1 million in 2023 was significantly exceeded. A total of 2,710 graffiti were documented, which corresponds to an increase of 18 percent compared to the previous year, as the ÖBB reported in a current broadcast. The number of convicted perpetrators rose from 15 in 2023 to 28 in 2024.

But the effects of the works of art on rails are not only financial in nature. The ÖBB warn that graffiti impair the subjective feeling of security of passengers and endanger the acceptance of public transport. In the course of cleaning work, trains are canceled, which leads to space problems or even train failures. These vandalism acts are more than just a cavalier offense, they represent a damage to foreign property-and the property of the Austrian taxpayers, said a ÖBB spokesman.

stricter procedure against vandalism

ÖBB has tightened their measures against sprayers in recent years. Each graffiti is now consistently displayed and documented in a database in order to track down the past crimes. Vandalism hotspots are mainly storage systems in the eastern region, where the offenses occur particularly frequently. With the documentation, the ÖBB has managed to better convict the perpetrators and contain vandalism, reports the orf .

The doubling of the damage also requires increased pressure on the causes, since the cleaning and follow-up costs have increased significantly in recent years, as the the press . The ÖBB continues to rely on preventive measures and increased monitoring to minimize the damage caused by graffiti and to ensure the safety of passengers.