Austria's rail network is booming: record numbers of passengers in passenger transport!

Austria's rail network is booming: record numbers of passengers in passenger transport!

Austria is becoming a rail travel nation! The number of passengers using passenger transport reached a record high in 2023: over 328 million people used the trains, which corresponds to an impressive increase of eleven percent compared to the previous year, as reported by the rail transport regulator, Eisenbahn-Control. The ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) also reported impressive figures: 511 million passengers traveled with the company last year, which represents an increase of 17 million compared to 2022 and an increase of ten percent in local and regional transport. These positive trends are strongly linked to the return to less home working and increased use of public transport for excursions. As CEO of ÖBB, Andreas Matthä emphasizes that the company will invest over 6.1 billion euros in new and modern trains by 2030 in order to further expand its offering.

The popularity of rail transport is increasing

Demand for night connections is also booming; More than 1.5 million travelers were registered in night traffic in 2023. The new Nightjets are not only in use in popular cities such as Vienna and Hamburg, but also serve connections to Bregenz and Rome. This growth in rail transport is primarily driven by high fuel prices and parking costs in urban areas. The climate ticket also contributes to the increased willingness to travel by train, with around 272,000 expenses, which offer a clear incentive. ÖBB remains the undisputed market leader in passenger transport with 276.6 million travelers and holds an impressive share of 84 percent.

Despite these successes in passenger transport, freight transport shows different trends: the net tons transported fell by 6.7 percent, while the gross ton-kilometers fell by five percent. This is attributed to difficult economic conditions, high inflation and reduced industrial production, which have a negative impact on the transport of goods. Construction sites in the rail network, especially in Germany and on the Brenner Pass, also increase the challenges. While freight transport is struggling with problems, passengers in passenger transport are enjoying unrestricted mobility, which is increasingly perceived as an environmentally friendly alternative to cars, according to Rail Control boss Maria-Theresia Röhsler.