The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, and the administrator of

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

's railways. The ÖBB group is owned entirely by the Republic of Austria, and is divided into several separate businesses that manage the infrastructure and operate passenger and freight services. The Austrian Federal Railways has had two discrete periods of existence. It was first formed in 1923, using the ''Bundesbahn Österreich'' name, as a successor to the

Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways The Imperial-Royal State Railways () abbr. ''kkStB'') or Imperial-Royal Austrian State Railways (''k.k. österreichische Staatsbahnen'',The name incorporating "Austrian" appears, for example, in the 1907 official state handbook (''Staatshandbuch'' ...

(kkStB), but was incorporated into the ''

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...

'' during the 1938–1945

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

. It was reformed in 1947, under the slightly different name ''Österreichische Bundesbahnen'', and remains in existence in this form. Major changes currently being made to the Austrian railway network are the construction of the

Koralm Railway The Koralm Railway () is an Austrian 127 km-long (79 mi)Johannes Fleckl-Ernst: ''Geodätische Herausforderungen beim Projekt „Koralmtunnel“''. In: ''Felsbau'', Heft 5/2010, S. 315–321, . Double track, double-track, Railway ele ...

, the Semmering Base Tunnel and the Brenner Base Tunnel connection with

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Eurobarometer Eurobarometer is a series of public opinion statistical survey, surveys conducted regularly on behalf of the European Commission and other Institutions of the European Union, EU institutions since 1974. These surveys address a wide variety of to ...

surveys conducted in 2018 showed that satisfaction levels of Austrian rail passengers are among the highest in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

when it comes to punctuality, reliability and frequency of trains. Furthermore, with their ''

Nightjet Nightjet (stylised as nightjet) is a brand name given by the ÖBB, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) to its overnight passenger train services. ''Nightjet'' operates in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Switze ...

'' brand, ÖBB operates Europe's largest night train fleet. Unlike other major railway companies in Europe that offer more flexible cancellation policies, ÖBB only offers two types of tickets: full-price tickets, and cheaper but non-exchangeable and non-refundable tickets.

History

*1882 – Gradual nationalisation of the railway network of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

into the

(''Kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen'', kkStB). By the outbreak of the

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the only major railway in Austria to remain in private hands was the

Austrian Southern Railway The Austrian Southern Railway () is a long double track railway, which linked the capital Vienna with Trieste, the former main seaport of Austria-Hungary, by railway for the first time. It now forms the Southern Railway in Austria and the Spi ...

(''Südbahn''). * 1918 – After the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire following the World War I, the Austrian rump of kkStB remained in state control under the name ''Deutschösterreichische Staatsbahnen'' (DÖStB), which was renamed the ''Österreichische Staatsbahnen'' (ÖStB) in 1919. * 1923 – Foundation of the independent, commercial enterprise, the ''Bundesbahn Österreich'' (which used the abbreviation BBÖ, because ÖBB was already taken by the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

'). This company took over the assets of the ÖStB and the ''Südbahn'', together with other minor railways, like the . * 1938 – The

of Austria into the

Third Reich Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

. The BBÖ was taken over by the

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

about 41% of the Austrian railway network was destroyed. * 1947 – The company was reformed using the slightly different name of ''Österreichische Bundesbahnen'' and the abbreviation ÖBB (by that time the Swiss private railway used the abbreviation SP for its goods wagons in international traffic, so its abbreviation ÖBB could now be appropriated) as a state-owned company. Their infrastructure was rebuilt and electrification was accelerated. * 1969 – A new federal railway law was enacted. The ÖBB became a non-independent, economic entity, that was run as a branch of the government's industrial programme and remained entirely within the Federal budget. * 1992 – The ÖBB were broken out of the federal budget and turned into company with its own legal status (a cross between a ''GmbH'' and an ''AG'' in Austrian commercial terms). The company is 100% owned by the Republic of Austria. This change had two primary aims: 1. It had to conform to EU rules on the admission of Austria into the

. 2. The financial demand on the public purse was to be reduced as a result of improvements in efficiency and the pressure of competition. * 2004 – The ÖBB were reorganised into ÖBB Holding AG and a number of operating subsidiaries. The holding company was to oversee the operations of the companies assigned to it, coordinate a coherent strategic approach and allocate tasks for the whole enterprise. * 1 January 2005 – The subsidiaries of ÖBB-Holding AG became autonomous and independent operationally. * In 2012, ÖBB celebrated the 175th anniversary of the '' Nordbahn'', the earliest predecessor company marking the start of rail transport in Austria. ÖBB CEO Christian Kern inaugurated an exhibition on the company's collaboration with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, named "The Suppressed Years – Railway and National Socialism in Austria 1938–1945". He referred to that period as "the darkest chapter of our company history," adding that the company must accept this period as part of its legacy. The exhibition later went on tour and was presented at the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

's parliamentary building in Brussels. The Austrian rail system is largely electrified. Electrification of the system began in 1912 but did not reach an advanced state until the 1950s. The last steam locomotive in regular service on the

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

network was retired in 1978. The post-war laws related to the Austrian railways were the: * ''Eisenbahngesetz'' (EisbG 1957), * ''Schieneninfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesetz'' (SCHIG 1999), * ''Eisenbahnhochleistungsstreckengesetz'' (HIG 1999) and * ''Bundesbahngesetz'' (1992).

Logo history

File:2018-05-21 (205) Front of 1099.06 at Bahnhof Kirchberg an der Pielach, Austria.jpg, ÖBB's first logo. It consists of a flying wheel-styled symbol with one "B" on each side of the "Ö", and was used from 1960 to 1974. File:ÖBB Logo Pflatsch neu.svg, ÖBB's second logo consists of a stylized "O" symbol with extending arrows. Within Austria it was nicknamed the "" (lit. spatter, spot), and was officially used from 1974 to 2004, although some stations and vehicles used it up to the mid-late 2010s. It continued to be used when ÖBB's current logo was introduced in 1998. File:Aufkleber 150 J Eisenbahn Oesterreich.jpg, This is a special variant of the "Pflatsch" logo, created in 1987 for the 150th anniversary of railway in Austria. File:OeBB Logo 1998.svg, This combination of the old "Pflatsch" logo and a new ÖBB stylized text was rarely used due to the former's popularity within Austria. It was in use between 1998 and 2004. File:Logo ÖBB.svg, The current ÖBB logo, used since 1998.

Current structure

By a law of August 2009, the organisational structure dating from 2005 was further modified; the railways are under the control of ''ÖBB-Holding AG'', a holding company wholly owned by the Austrian state, under the

Ministry of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

. The holding company has a number of subsidiaries: * ''ÖBB-Holding AG'' ** ''ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG'' (Passenger transport) *** '' ÖBB-Postbus GmbH'' *** ''ÖBB-Produktion GmbH'' (50% shares) *** ''ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH'' (75% shares) (railroad vehicle maintenance) *** ''Rail Tours Touristik GmbH'' *** '' GmbH'' (mobile app developer) *** ''ÖV Ticketshop GmbH'' (online ticket distributor) ** '' Rail Cargo Austria AG (RCA)'' (Freight transport) *** ''Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt.'' *** ''ÖBB-Produktion GmbH'' (50% shares) *** ''ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH'' (25% shares) *** ''Rail Cargo Logistics – Austria GmbH'' *** ''Rail Cargo Carrier Kft.'' *** ''Rail Cargo Operator - CSKD s.r.o'' ** ''ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG'' (Infrastructure planning, management, and construction) *** ''ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH'' *** ''Mungos Sicher & Sauber GmbH'' (Security and Cleaning) *** ''Rail Equipment GmbH'' *** ''WS Service GmbH'' (51% shares) *** '' Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE'' (50% shares) *** ''Weichenwerk Wörth GmbH'' (43.05% shares) ** ''ÖBB-Business Competence Center GmbH'' ** ''ÖBB-Werbung GmbH'' ** ''ÖBB-Finanzierungsservice GmbH''

Infrastructure

The infrastructure of the state-owned Austrian network is managed by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, which was formed from former infrastructure-related units including Brenner Eisenbahn GmbH. It now manages 9,740 km of track, 788 signal boxes, 247 tunnels, 6,207 bridges and eight hydro-electric power (hep) stations for the 16.7 Hz electrification system, and two hep stations for 50 Hz power generation. As of 2009 it employed 17,612 staff.

Statistics

According to the Annual Report 2013, the company employs 39,513, there of 13,599 employees, 24,251 tenured employees and 1,663 apprentices. In 2013, ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG carried 469 million passengers of which 235 million were bus passengers. The ÖBB has *4,859 km (3,020 route miles); 72% electrified *1,128 train stations *1,093 locomotives *2,799 passenger vehicles *26,518 freight wagons *2,200 busses *ÖBB's bus services travel per year.

Principal lines

* Western Railway from Wien Westbahnhof via St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof and

Linz Hauptbahnhof Linz Hauptbahnhof or Linz Central Station is a railway station in Linz, the third largest city in Austria, and capital city of the States of Austria, federal state of Upper Austria. Opened in 1858, the station is the centrepiece of the Linz trans ...

to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, including a parallel

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

section ("New Western Railway") from Wien Meidling railway station to Linz * Southern Railway from

Wien Hauptbahnhof Wien Hauptbahnhof, Vienna Central Station or Vienna Main Station is the main railway station in Vienna, Austria, located in the Favoriten district. It became fully operational in December 2015, linking major railway lines from the North railway ...

/Wien Meidling to Graz Hauptbahnhof, including the Semmering railway section – a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

** continuation to Klagenfurt by the

(under construction) * Northern Railway from

Wien Praterstern railway station Wien Praterstern (German for ''Vienna Praterstern'') is one of Vienna's main railway stations, used by 35,000 people daily. It is located on the roundabout Praterstern in Leopoldstadt, in the north of the city. Vienna's two most recognisable st ...

Břeclav Břeclav (; ) is a town in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. Located at the Czech-Austrian state border and near the Czech–Slovak state border, it is an important railway hub. Administrative divis ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

* Eastern Railway from Vienna Hauptbahnhof (under construction) to Hegyeshalom,

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

and

Budapest Keleti railway station Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the tenth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the river Danube. The estimated population of the city in 2025 ...

* Emperor Franz Joseph Railway from

Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof Wien Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof (translated as Vienna Franz Joseph Station, abbreviated as Wien FJB) is a train station in the Alsergrund district of Vienna, Austria. It serves as the southern terminus of the Franz-Josefs-Bahn. History A first provi ...

to Gmünd, Lower Austria and

České Velenice České Velenice (, , 1938–1945: ''Gmünd III'') is a town in Jindřichův Hradec District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,700 inhabitants. It lies on the border with Austria and is adjacent to the town of Gmü ...

, Czech Republic * Salzburg-Tyrol Railway from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to Wörgl Hauptbahnhof * Enns Valley Railway from the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway at

Bischofshofen Bischofshofen () is a List of cities and towns in Austria, town in the district of St. Johann im Pongau District, St. Johann im Pongau in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. It is an important traffic junction located both on ...

to Selzthal * Tauern Railway from the Salzburg-Tyrol Railway at Schwarzach/ Sankt Veit to

Spittal an der Drau Spittal an der Drau is a town in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia (state), Carinthia. It is the administrative centre of Spittal an der Drau District, Austria's second largest district (''Districts of Austria, Bezirk'') b ...

via the Tauern Railway Tunnel * Lower Inn Valley Railway from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

border near Kufstein railway station via Wörgl Hauptbahnhof to Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof; to be relieved by the New Lower Inn Valley railway line (under construction), part of the Trans-European Berlin–Palermo railway axis ** western continuation by the Arlberg Railway to Bludenz railway station via the Arlberg Railway Tunnel ** northwestern continuation by the Mittenwald Railway to

Garmisch-Partenkirchen Garmisch-Partenkirchen (; ) is an Northern Limestone Alps, Alpine mountain resort, ski town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the seat of government of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district), district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (abbreviated ...

, Germany and the Ausserfern Railway to Kempten Hauptbahnhof ** southern continuation by the Brenner Railway to Bozen,

and

Verona Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...

via the Innsbruck bypass and the

Brenner Pass The Brenner Pass ( , shortly ; ) is a mountain pass over the Alps which forms the Austria-Italy border, border between Italy and Austria. It is one of the principal passes of the Alps, major passes of the Eastern Alpine range and has the lowes ...

, to be replaced by the Brenner Base Tunnel (planned)

Rail links to adjacent countries

All neighbouring railways have the same gauge. *

— voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC *

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

— same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC *

— voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC *

— voltage and frequency change to 3 kV DC *

— same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC *

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

— voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC *

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

— voltage and frequency change to 3 kV DC *

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

— same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC

Active rolling stock

Electric locomotives

File:Güterzug beim ehemaligen Bahnhof Gesäuse Eingang, 08.09.2020.jpg, ÖBB Class 1016/1116/1216 ''Taurus'' File:ÖBB 1293 184 beim Ostbahnhof Graz.jpg, ÖBB Class 1293 ''Vectron'' File:Regionalzug bei Altmünster.jpg, ÖBB Class 1144 ''Alpenstaubsauger''
(eng. alpine hoover) File:ÖBB 1142 640 bei Golling 20230810 rex1546 cl b.jpg, ÖBB Class 1142 File:1163003 at Salzburg Hauptbahnhof.jpg, ÖBB Class 1163 File:J32 296 Bf Rijeka, 1063 018.jpg, ÖBB Class 1063 File:1064 005 Stp Grillgasse.jpg, ÖBB Class 1064

Diesel locomotives

File:ÖBB 2016 094 in Don Bosco.jpg, ÖBB Class 2016 ''Hercules'' File:ÖBB 2070 085 in Wien Hauptbahnhof.jpg, ÖBB Class 2070 ''Hector'' File:ÖBB 2068 028 Kapfenberg.jpg, ÖBB Class 2068

Electrical multiple units

File:L04 876 Innotrans 2024, 4734 604.jpg, ÖBB 4734 File:ÖBB 4706 Bild1.jpg, ÖBB 4736 ''Railjet 3'' File:ÖBB 4746 126 in Kleinstübing.jpg, ÖBB Class 4746 ''Desiro'' File:Talent am Weg zum Bahnhof Kainisch.jpg, ÖBB Class 4023/4024/
4124 ''Talent'' File:4020 223-6, Wien Praterstern.jpg,

ÖBB Class 4020 The ÖBB class 4020 of the Austrian Federal Railways, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) are electric multiple units (EMU) developed by Simmering-Graz-Pauker, Simmering-Graz-Pauker (SGP). In the narrower sense, 4020 is the designation of the railc ...

Diesel railcars

File:5022 042-3 Bahnhof Puchberg am Schneeberg 01.jpg, ÖBB Class 5022 File:Austria 5047 hermagor.jpg, ÖBB Class 5047

Maintenance of other equipment

File:ÖBB Servicejet Stadler St. Margrethen.jpg, ÖBB Servicejet File:ROBEL54.22 X630.571 Tullnerbach.jpg, ÖBB Class X630 File:X629902.jpg, ÖBB Class X629.9 File:SKL X556 101-4.jpg, ÖBB Class X556.1 File:S-Bahn-Tunnel IMG 1182 (517974782).jpg, ÖBB Class X554.3 File:X552.022.jpg, ÖBB Class X552 File:OEBB Motorturmwagen X534 062 Hopfgarten.jpg, ÖBB Class X534

References

External links

Official website

International relations UIC

International relations CER

report of audit court 2006

modification of railroad law 2004

passenger traffic tariffs of ÖBB in 2008
* , illustrated account of Austrian railways in the 1930s. * {{Authority control Government-owned companies of Austria Railway companies of Austria Railway companies established in 1923 Railteam 1923 establishments in Austria Austrian brands Rail transport in Liechtenstein

History

Logo history

Current structure

Infrastructure

Statistics

Principal lines

Rail links to adjacent countries

Active rolling stock

Electric locomotives

Diesel locomotives

Electrical multiple units

Diesel railcars

Maintenance of other equipment

See also

Other railways in Austria

References

External links