The latest order includes 14 double-decker six-car trains for long-distance services and 21 double-decker four-car trains for local transport.
According to ÖBB, as early as 2026, the first Railjet double-decker trains are scheduled to be in service for passengers on the western line. With the completion of the Semmering Base Tunnel (around 2030), ÖBB also plans to use them on the southern line.
“People in Austria want to travel in a climate-friendly way, as shown by the KlimaTicket, which has already been sold 237,000 times. People are willing to switch to public transport if it is cheap, convenient, and attractive. With the new double-decker trains, ÖBB is meeting this demand. We need rail as the strong backbone of public transport, it supports our common path towards climate-friendly mobility and a climate-friendly future,” said climate protection minister, Leonore Gewessler.
“The passenger boom at ÖBB continues: A total of 41.6 million passengers were recorded in long-distance transport in 2022 - we were even able to surpass our previous record year of 2019. We are not only very proud of this result but are also taking further measures to further increase the capacity in our trains. We are investing in the heart of our long-distance transport – the Railjet – and will be expanding the existing fleet for the first time with modern Railjet double-decker trains,” added ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä.
“Stadler and ÖBB have set themselves the goal of working together to modernize Austrian rail transport. With its high degree of innovation, our KISS is an essential solution for passenger and environmentally friendly rail transport – on both local and long-distance routes. We would like to thank ÖBB for the trust they have placed in us and look forward to jointly delivering the next generation of double-decker multiple units for Austria,” concluded Peter Spuhler, executive chairman of the board of directors of Stadler.
The new six-car Railjet double-decker train is designed for a top speed of 200 km/h and offers around 480 seats. As a result, there is almost 19% more space for passengers than in the existing Railjet fleet. Due to its design, it enables a faster change of passengers and, with the high-acceleration railcar, is ideally suited for planned use on long-distance lines with more frequent stops.
Further Cityjet double-decker new for the eastern region
In April 2022, 20 six-car and 21 four-car Cityjet double-decker trains were ordered in the first call-off from the framework agreement with Stadler. Now, on the second call-off, a further 21 four-car sets with a volume of around €300m will follow for use in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. This means that a total of 62 new Cityjets will be put on track for passengers in the eastern region – the first new train is scheduled to start running as early as the beginning of 2026.