Expansion of long -distance transport: New timetables in Vienna from October 10th in Vienna

Expansion of long -distance transport: New timetables in Vienna from October 10th in Vienna

The ÖBB and Westbahn presented their new timetables in Vienna on Friday. These changes come from mid -September after the flood disaster, which caused considerable damage to the infrastructure. From October 10th, the old railway west route through the Wienerwald will again be accessible in two ways after all obstacles have been removed and track damage has been repaired.

The situation for the passengers and for ÖBB can be described as "extremely difficult", as Sabine Stock, the officer of the ÖBB Passenger Transport AG, said. The lifeline of the rail system in Austria had a "heart attack" and the convalescence phase continues. Despite everything, long -distance transport will be restored to around 90 percent of the original level from October 10th. The timetable information is now available on "Scotty". However, it could not offer information about the infrastructure. The ÖBB is planning to restore as much as possible for Christmas traffic, and the corresponding timetable is expected in the next two weeks.

expansion of long -distance traffic

As a result of stabilization, an hourly course of four trains of the two companies are provided on the connection between Vienna and Salzburg. Thomas Posch, Managing Director of Westbahn Management GmbH, emphasized the need for collaboration despite the competitive pressure: "In a situation that was never there, we pull together to maintain people's trust."

The new western route through the Tullnerfeld remains closed for the time being, which means that opening the second track on the old connection should bring significant relief. The ticket recognition between ÖBB and Westbahn applies until October 9 to give travelers the opportunity to use alternative connections.

For commuters, the rail replacement traffic with buses is also continuously optimized. In particular, the direct connections on the St. Pölten-Hauptbahnhof-Tullnerfeld-Tulln route are strengthened during the rush hours. From October 10th there will be a 15-minute cycle (currently 30 minutes) in the S50 between Unter-Purkersdorf and Vienna Hütteldorf. The S80 line is temporarily exposed.

The damage caused by the flood disaster on the new western route amounts to at least three-digit million amounts. The Atzenbrugg tunnel is classified as "destroyed" and the Tullnerfeld train station has also suffered serious damage. In the affected sections, 125 kilometers of tracks and 67 soft had to be repaired, whereby all switch drives had to be replaced. Numerous safety devices and lifts have also been affected.

From October 10th, the Railjet XPress and the Westbahn will increase your frequencies. The Railjet will drive from Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Salzburg every hour, while the Westbahn will be on the road every half hour from Vienna Westbahnhof. Nevertheless, some long-distance transport connections continue to fail, including many IC courses and D-trains. While the connection to Germany remains with the ICE, travelers have to change in Linz.

For passengers, there will be a new shuttle service from next Thursday, which will provide trains every 30 minutes from Vienna Central Station to Vienna Schwechat Airport. This development is a step in the right direction to offer passengers more mobility and flexibility.