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The Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban
commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
network in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
,
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 ...
. As opposed to the city-run urban metro network, the
Vienna U-Bahn The Vienna U-Bahn () is a rapid transit system serving Vienna, Austria. The five-line network consists of of route, serving 109 stations. 459.8 million passengers rode the U-Bahn in 2019. The modern-day U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978, after ...
, it extends beyond the borders of the city, is operated by the
ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
(Austrian Federal Railways), and consists of many
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
s. ''
S-Bahn The S-Bahn ( , ), , is a hybrid urban rail, urban–suburban rail system serving a metropolitan region predominantly in German language, German-speaking countries. Some of the larger S-Bahn systems provide service similar to rapid transit syst ...
'' is short for ''Schnellbahn'', which can be translated as "rapid railway".


Network

The Vienna S-Bahn consists of a multitude of branch lines extending beyond the city boundary, most of which converge at a central route segment called the ''Stammstrecke'' ("trunk line"). While many of the individual lines run at half-hourly or hourly intervals, they are able to offer combined frequencies of only a few minutes or less along the ''Stammstrecke''. Only line S45 operates entirely within Vienna's boundaries. Unlike many S-Bahn networks in Germany, the Vienna S-Bahn is not a separate rail network. It is integrated with, and part of, the national railway system. As such, S-Bahn trains share tracks with regional trains (which travel further than the S-Bahn, some regional lines crossing into neighbouring countries) and other rail traffic, including freight trains. The numbering of the lines has changed since the partial opening of the
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 ...
on 9 December 2012. All lines, except for S45, have trains that go further and ones that do not run to the terminal.


History

The
Wiener Stadtbahn The Vienna Stadtbahn () was a rail-based public transportation system operated under this name from 1898 until 1989. Today, the Vienna U-Bahn lines U4 and U6 and the Vienna S-Bahn (commuter rail) run on its former lines. In 1894, the architect ...
, which belonged to the Commission for Transport Facilities in Vienna and was operated by 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'' ...
, was in its original mode of operation (1898–1925) a forerunner of the S-Bahn, since it was a mainline railway ('), which also handled local traffic. However, since other factors, such as military transports, long-distance traffic, etc., played an important role in their planning and the railway was operated with steam locomotives, it was not particularly successful. As a result, numerous proposals were made to improve the situation, but most of them failed. In all of these pre-WWII proposals, generally no distinction was made between mainline railway and metro, so many proposals under the name "U-Bahn" mostly included mainline railway facilities. The original Stadtbahn plans included more lines than were actually built; said plans remained legally safeguarded until 1951. However, the Stadtbahn, which had been shut down after 1918, was electrified and reopened in 1925 by the Vienna city administration as the Wiener Elektrische Stadtbahn and in a common fare network with the
tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...
; for the rolling stock, turning loops were built in Hütteldorf and Heiligenstadt and at Gumpendorfer Straße station, connecting tracks to the tram network were also built so that the Stadtbahn cars used could also run on the tram. The track connections to the mainline rail network, on the other hand, were shut down or dismantled. The light rail was thus eliminated for an operation that was spreading to the region. When the ''
Gemeindebau ''Gemeindebau'' (; plural: ''Gemeindebauten'') is an Austrian German word for "municipality building".''Gemeinde''
'' housing estate in the 3rd district was built in 1931–33, it was designed so that an elevated passenger railway line intersecting diagonally between the apartment blocks would have been possible. In the entrance area of the complex there is a board in which this planned route is referred to as a U-Bahn. After the ''
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 ...
'' of 1938, the Siemens Bau Union developed a combined U-Bahn and S-Bahn network with municipal offices, the latter intended to be operated by 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 ...
. Although the planned network was extremely extensive, due to the onset of World War II that plan was not able to go beyond test drilling. In the post-war period, there were new proposals, but these rarely had an official character. A proposal by Otmar Denk from 1947 was very similar to the project that was later realised. Planning for the mainline S-Bahn network for Vienna was started in 1954 as a part of reconstruction of the
ÖBB The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
and especially the
Wien Südbahnhof Wien Südbahnhof ( German for ''Vienna South Station'') was Vienna's largest railway terminus. It closed in December 2009 and was demolished in 2010 to be replaced with a new station, Wien Hauptbahnhof. It was located in Favoriten, in the south ...
. Concrete plans were completed by 1955, but financing was not secured until 1958. The collapse of the investment budget of the city of Vienna led to a partial stop of construction in 1960, necessitating a postponing of the grand opening of the network by a little over a year. The S-Bahn era in Austria began on 17 January 1962. Its official opening was attended by over 900 invited guests, including Federal President
Adolf Schärf Adolf Schärf (; 20 April 1890 – 28 February 1965) was an Austrian politician of the Socialist Party of Austria (SPÖ). He served as the vice-chancellor from 1945 to 1957 and as the president of Austria from 1957 until his death. Life Schärf ...
and Vice Chancellor
Bruno Pittermann Bruno Pittermann (3 September 1905 – 19 September 1983) was an Austrian social democrat politician. Early life Pittermann was trained in geography, history, and pedagogy. In his youth, he took a job as an education expert in the Chamber of ...
. After a day of testing the network with empty trains, passenger transport began at 11:45pm the following day. Steam locomotives were then prohibited from the section between Meidling and Praterstern. The station Hauptzollamt was renamed "Landstraße" (now Wien Mitte), analogous to the Stadtbahn station. The S-Bahn was an immediate success. There was severe overcrowding, which could only be eliminated by replacing the single sets with double sets. An agreement was concluded with Wiener Stadtwerke – Verkehrsbetriebe which allowed passengers to use other parallel modes of transport without additional ticket purchase in the event of service disruptions. In 1963, the first television monitors for train handling were installed on a trial basis in the Südbahnhof stop (now Wien Quartier Belvedere). On the ''Stammstrecke'', trains were initially run every quarter of an hour, but already in October 1962 the traffic between Floridsdorf and Landstraße was increased in the rush hour, and from 1964 on the entire ''Stammstrecke''. Since 3 June 1984, the Vienna S-Bahn has formed part of the integrated fare structure of the (VOR) of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. From 1962 until 2005, the term ''S-Bahn'' was rarely used, the full term ''Schnellbahn'' being preferred. Starting with the 2005/2006 timetable, however, ''S-Bahn'' has begun to appear in timetables and loudspeaker announcements. Announcements in
Badner Bahn The Badner Bahn or Wiener Lokalbahn is a tram-train service in the metropolitan area of Vienna. It runs for between Vienna and Baden, and is operated by the Wiener Lokalbahnen Aktiengesellschaft. The entire Badner Bahn is part of the and is one ...
trains still use the term ''Schnellbahn'' as of 2009.


The ''Stammstrecke''

The ', which translates to "Trunk line", of the Vienna S-Bahn has a length of 13.3 km (8.3 mi) with trains running at
headway Headway is the distance or duration between vehicles in a transit system. The ''minimum headway'' is the shortest such distance or time achievable by a system without a reduction in the speed of vehicles. The precise definition varies depending on ...
s comparable to those of the
Vienna U-Bahn The Vienna U-Bahn () is a rapid transit system serving Vienna, Austria. The five-line network consists of of route, serving 109 stations. 459.8 million passengers rode the U-Bahn in 2019. The modern-day U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978, after ...
. Since 2017, it is shown on maps (including U-Bahn maps) as a dusty pink line. From the south to the north, the following stations are served: * Wien Meidling * Wien Matzleinsdorfer Platz *
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 ...
(formerly Südtiroler Platz) * Wien Quartier Belvedere (formerly
Wien Südbahnhof Wien Südbahnhof ( German for ''Vienna South Station'') was Vienna's largest railway terminus. It closed in December 2009 and was demolished in 2010 to be replaced with a new station, Wien Hauptbahnhof. It was located in Favoriten, in the south ...
tracks 21/22) * Wien Rennweg * Wien Mitte (formerly Landstraße) * Wien Praterstern (formerly Wien Nord) * Wien Traisengasse * Wien Handelskai * Strandbäder (closed 2002) * Wien Floridsdorf The ''Stammstrecke'' is expected to be extensively modernised, including a signalling upgrade to ETCS Level 2, between 2023 and 2027.


The ''Vorortelinie''

The most highly frequented single line in Vienna is the S45 ''Vorortelinie'', which translates to "Suburban line". The localities along this line all lie within the city proper, although they had been independent until the late nineteenth century, when they were incorporated, six years before this line opened. Originally part of
Otto Wagner Otto Koloman Wagner (; 13 July 1841 â€“ 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau mo ...
's federally operated
Stadtbahn (; German for 'city railway'; plural ) is a German word referring to various types of urban rail transport. One type of transport originated in the 19th century, firstly in Berlin and followed by Vienna, where rail routes were created that co ...
, this line was not taken over by the city with the rest of the network in 1925. The line was subsequently closed to passengers in 1932. Although still used for freight traffic for several decades afterwards, the line would not see passenger traffic again until 1987, when it was reopened as part of the S-Bahn after extensive renovation. Many of the original Otto Wagner stations are still standing and still in use. However, two of the present stations, Breitensee and
Oberdöbling Oberdöbling (Central Bavarian: ''Obadöbling'') was an independent municipality until 1892 and is today a part of Döbling, the 19th district of Vienna. It is also one of the 89 Katastralgemeinden. Geography Oberdöbling lies in the south of ...
were demolished after the original line's closure and rebuilt in a different style by architects Alois Machatschek and Wilfried Schermann. One new station, Krottenbachstraße, was added to the refurbished line, and two of the original line's stations, ''Baumgarten'' and ''Unterdöbling'', which had also been demolished, were not replaced. Rebuilding ''Unterdöbling'' station is proposed for the near future, as is extending the line south to the
Reichsbrücke The Reichsbrücke (German for ''Imperial Bridge'') is a major bridge in Vienna, linking Mexikoplatz in Leopoldstadt with the Donauinsel in Donaustadt across the Danube. The bridge is used by 50,000 vehicles per day and carries six lanes of tra ...
. The line was extended from Heiligenstadt to Handelskai in 1996, to allow for an easy connection to line ''U6'' of the
Vienna U-Bahn The Vienna U-Bahn () is a rapid transit system serving Vienna, Austria. The five-line network consists of of route, serving 109 stations. 459.8 million passengers rode the U-Bahn in 2019. The modern-day U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978, after ...
. The ''Vorortelinie'' runs at headways of 10 minutes (daytime on weekdays), and is shown on maps (including U-Bahn maps) as a light green line.


Rolling stock


Current

*
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 ...
(since 1979) * hauled by ÖBB Class 1116 or
ÖBB Class 1144 The Austrian Federal Railways ( , formally or () and formerly the or ''BBÖ'' ), now commonly known as ÖBB (), is the national railway company of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group i ...
locomotives (since 1996) * ÖBB Class 4024 (since 2004) * ÖBB Class 4744/4746 "''cityjet''" (since 2015) Schnellbahn Wien 6020050 199110.jpg , A Class 4020 EMU in his original painting between Rennweg and Quartier Belvedere Wien IMG 7210 (9443635084).jpg, An ÖBB double deck
cab car A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or t ...
at Wien Praterstern ÖBB Schnellbahn S-Bahn Wien S45 891433.jpg, A Class 4024 EMU at Wien Gersthof Cityjet in Floridsdorf.jpg, A Class 4746 EMU at Wien Floridsdorf


Former

*
ÖBB Class 4030 The Class 4030 of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) were electric multiple units. In the narrower sense, 4030 was the designation of the railcars, the control cars were designated as series 6030 and the intermediate cars as series 7030. They we ...
(from 1962 until 2004) * (partly as
multiple working On the rail network in Great Britain, multiple working is where two or more traction units (locomotives, diesel multiple units or electric multiple units) are coupled together in such a way that they are all under the control of one driver ...
with Class 4030) *
DB Class 420 The Class 420 () is a commuter electric multiple unit train type in service on German S-Bahn networks since 1972. Their use in Munich during the 1972 Summer Olympics earned them the colloquial name (Olympic multiple unit). Design Livery variati ...
(1970 trial) *
SBB-CFF-FFS Re 450 The Re 450 is a push-pull electric locomotive of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), which combined with railroad car, passenger coaches is only used for commuter rail services of Zurich S-Bahn in the Zurich metropolitan area, metropolitan are ...
(1992 double-decker train trial) 066R03270180 Haltestelle Strandbäder, Blick Richtung Nordbahnbrücke, Schnellbahn Lok 6030.205.jpg , A Class 4030 EMU at Station Strandbäder Oggau 6645-004 198708.jpg, A 5145 DMU with
cab car A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or t ...
at first at Oggau


Future plans

Demands for the extension of the S7 to the Slovakian capital city
Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...
have been made since 1990; the realisation fails because the ÖBB has sold the right-of-way off the ' from the Wolfsthal terminus to the Slovakian border to private individuals. Furthermore, in December 2014, in the course of the new construction of Wien Hauptbahnhof on the site of the former Südbahnhof, the construction of a connection between the Ostbahn and the airport rapid transit line was completed in order to create an optimal connection to Vienna Airport. The double-track connection was built in the vicinity of the Zentralverschiebebahnhof–Kledering–
Zentralfriedhof The Vienna Central Cemetery () is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its significance as Vienna's biggest cemet ...
and has been scheduled since 14 December 2014. According to plans of the ÖBB, the new connection could be run as line S75 from the airport to Vienna Central Station and then on the S-Bahn ''Stammstrecke'' from Wien Meidling to Wien Hütteldorf with appropriate financing by the states of Vienna and Lower Austria. An extension of the suburban line S45 from Handelskai to Donaumarina U2 station along the freight-only , with through-running on the current line S80 to form a linking the
Laaer Ostbahn The Laaer Ostbahn () is a railway line in Lower Austria. It runs from Wien Hauptbahnhof to , on the Czech–Austrian border. The line formerly continued to Brno. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) owns and operates the line. Route The Laaer Os ...
at Haidestraße and then connecting to the ''Stammstrecke'' at Wien Hauptbahnhof, has been under discussion since 1993. The Penzing–Meidling ''Verbindungsbahn'', which was noticeably relieved by the Lainz Tunnel, is also to be upgraded between Hütteldorf and Meidling. In addition to a complete renovation and large-scale grade-separation works, the two stations Hietzinger Hauptstraße and Stranzenbergbrücke are to be rebuilt. As of 2020, preparatory work is expected to begin around 2023 and completion is expected in 2026.


Network Map


See also

*
Trams in Vienna Trams in Vienna (, in everyday speech also ''Bim'' or ''Tramway'') are a vital part of the public transport system in Vienna, capital city of Austria. In operation since 1865, with the completion of a route to industrial estates near Simmering ...
*
Vienna Metro The Vienna U-Bahn () is a rapid transit system serving Vienna, Austria. The five-line network consists of of route, serving 109 stations. 459.8 million passengers rode the U-Bahn in 2019. The modern-day U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978, after ...
*
Wiener Lokalbahnen The Wiener Lokalbahnen (WLB) is a transportation company in Greater Vienna, Austria. It is one of the two transportation subsidiaries of the city-owned Wiener Stadtwerke holding, the other one being Wiener Linien. The WLB operate the Badner B ...
*
Transportation in Vienna Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipelines, and ...


References


External links

* * {{Urban rail transit in EU Transport in Vienna S-Bahn in Austria 15 kV AC railway electrification