AUSTRIAN railfreight continued to suffer the effects of the prolonged economic downturn last year according to annual figures released by Austria's rail regulator Schienen-Control, which also show a strong increase in passenger traffic.

INNSBRUCK city council has voted in favour of procuring 20 low-floor LRVs for the city's metre-gauge tram network.

PLANS for further extensions of the U-Bahn and tram networks in the Austrian capital were officially announced by Vienna city council on June 27.

JUST two years after launching its Vienna – Linz – Salzburg services, Austrian open-access operator Westbahn reached break-even last year according to the company's annual results, which were revealed on June 26.

AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) CEO Mr Christian Kern has announced that ÖBB intends to exercise the final option in its contract with Siemens for Railjet push-pull long-distance trains.

Several projects are in the pipeline or already underway to upgrade rail links in the regional triangle between Germany, Austria and Switzerland, not to mention Liechtenstein a little further south. Anitra Green takes a look at the current state of play.

VIENNESE public transport operator Wiener Linien has awarded Siemens a contract worth more than €40m to resignal the 17km U-Bahn Line 4 from Hütteldorf to Heiligenstadt.

CZECH Railways (ČD) launched trial passenger operation of its new fleet of Siemens Railjet long-distance trains on May 6, when the first set entered service on the international Prague – Vienna – Graz route.

AS part of the Austrian Space Application Programme (ASAP), Austria's Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has appointed a consortium led by Vienna-based Berner & Mattner Systemtechnik to develop satellite positioning technology for rail vehicles as part of the Ditpos Rail project.

AUSTRIAN open-access long-distance operator Westbahn announced on May 13 that it has pulled out of the European Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), accusing the association of blocking liberalisation and market opening.