AUSTRIAN Federal Railways has chosen Bombardier and Elin as preferred suppliers for a fleet of three-car trainsets for the Wien S-Bahn. They are intended to replace existing stock and to provide more frequent services on an expanding network, including the S7 route to Schwechat airport now being revamped.
The number of trains to be ordered is still under discussion, but at least two builds are likely in the next few years; an initial order is to be placed ’within weeks or months’. In a departure from previous procurement policy, ÖBB set the maximum price per set at Sch45m and asked for bids. Bombardier and Elin submitted the lowest offer, significantly below a rival bid from Siemens and Adtranz.
