AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) unveiled the first of its Stadler Kiss double-deck commuter EMUs in Vienna on May 6, with the six-car train making a maiden journey for invited guests between Vienna main station and Wiener Neustadt.
Branded by ÖBB as Cityjet, an umbrella term the operator uses for multiple types of commuter EMUS, the new trains have a maximum speed of 160km/h and will go into passenger service on the Vienna - Payerbach/Reichenau route in eastern Austria from the end of June.
ÖBB has so far called off a total of 109 four- and six-car Cityjet double-deck trains under a 10-year €3bn framework contract with Stadler for 186 EMUs signed in 2022. The value of the trains ordered so far is around €1.5bn. According to ÖBB, a total of 45 Cityjet double-deck EMUs will be in service in eastern Austria by the end of this year, including all 20 six-car trains.
The 109 trains to be delivered by 2030 are the combination of three separate orders:
- April 2022: 21 four-car trains (class 4734) and 20 six-car trains (class 4736)
- July 2023: 21 four-car trains, and
- August 2024: 47 four-car trains,
"A large number of people travel by train in eastern Austria, where we provide around two-thirds of our commuter services,” says ÖBB CEO, Andreas Matthä.
“The new Cityjet double-deck trains not only offer significantly more space, but also more comfort thanks to spacious multi-purpose areas for bicycles and prams as well as step-free entry and exit."
Last June, ÖBB unveiled the first of 14 six-car inter-city variants of the Kiss double-deck EMU branded as Railjet (class 4706), which were ordered in July 2023, along with three class 4705 five-car trains dedicated to CAT Vienna Airport shuttle services.
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