AUSTRIA: Austrian Federal Railways has placed a €600m firm order for 41 Stadler Kiss double-decker electric multiple-units. The order announced on April 7 is the first to be placed under a €3bn framework agreement for up to 186 trains which ÖBB and Stadler finalised in February following the rejection of a legal challenge and an issue with the validity of an electronic signature.
The 20 six-car and 21 four-car EMUs are to be used on local and regional services in eastern Austria, with entry into service from the start of 2026.
The 160 km/h units will offer faster acceleration and thus shorter journey times than current rolling stock.
Each car will have a low-floor entrance and a multi-purpose area for bicycles, pushchairs or luggage. The EMUs will have will have 610 or 380 seats depending on length, with a middle car including wheelchair spaces with height-adjustable side-wall tables. There will be power sockets at every row of seats, as well as real-time passenger information systems and CCTV.
‘With these 41 new Cityjet double-decker trains we continue to modernise our local transport fleet in Wien, Niederösterreich and Burgenland’, said ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä. ’From 2026 on, we will offer even more capacity and comfort to our passengers, making the switch from car to rail more attractive to commuters. This is good for our climate and both comfortable and practical.’
