Vienna S-Bahn to be modernised by ÖBB
13/06/2023
Between autumn 2023 and 2028 there will be a €1.1 billion upgrade on ÖBB’s Vienna S-Bahn line, which carries 250,000 passengers a day.
Approximately 700 trains that operate on this line are going to be updated. The number of passengers in the eastern region of Austria is rapidly growing and it is essential to keep up to date with this increase. ‘The Vienna S-Bahn upgrade makes an important contribution to the quality assurance of S-Bahn traffic in and around Vienna,' said ÖBB spokesperson.
The investment for this upgrade is coming from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, The Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, and the City of Vienna. The renovations are expected to include the switch to the digital S-Bahn which according to a spokesperson is the ‘heart of the project’. The most recent technology for railway operations, ETCS Level 2 (European Train Control System), provides this. The spokesperson said, ‘The system controls the direction of travel and speed of trains as well as their distances from each other,’ which will benefit passengers as they’ll be shorter waiting times and information on delays can be given in advance reducing disruption.
To achieve greater comfort and safety they intend to extend the platform by 220 metres, allowing them to run longer and more contemporary suburban trains in the future. Longer trains provide passengers with additional space and comfort. ‘The extension will surge the number of available seats, the exact numbers vary according to the used train material. However, we are planning to extend this by 40%,’ said ÖBB spokesperson.
The investment for this upgrade is coming from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, The Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, and the City of Vienna. The renovations are expected to include the switch to the digital S-Bahn which according to a spokesperson is the ‘heart of the project’. The most recent technology for railway operations, ETCS Level 2 (European Train Control System), provides this. The spokesperson said, ‘The system controls the direction of travel and speed of trains as well as their distances from each other,’ which will benefit passengers as they’ll be shorter waiting times and information on delays can be given in advance reducing disruption.
To achieve greater comfort and safety they intend to extend the platform by 220 metres, allowing them to run longer and more contemporary suburban trains in the future. Longer trains provide passengers with additional space and comfort. ‘The extension will surge the number of available seats, the exact numbers vary according to the used train material. However, we are planning to extend this by 40%,’ said ÖBB spokesperson.