ÖBB

The Austrian Federal Railways (German: Österreichische Bundesbahnen, formally Österreichische Bundesbahnen-Holding Aktiengesellschaft (lit. "Austrian Federal Railways Holding Stock Company") and formerly the Bundesbahn Österreich or BBÖ), now commonly known as ÖBB, is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrator of Liechtenstein'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.

Austrian Federal Railways
Aktiengesellschaft
IndustryTransport
PredecessorImperial Royal Austrian State Railways 
Founded21 November 1919 
HeadquartersÖBB Unternehmenszentrale,
Vienna
,
Austria
Area served
Central Europe
Key people
Andreas Matthä
ProductsRail transport, Cargo transport, Services
€6,945 million (2019)
€169 million (2019)
Total assets €31,254 million (2019)
Total equity €2,645 million (2019)
OwnerRepublic of Austria
Number of employees
 41.904 (2019)
Divisions
Websitewww.oebb.at
Footnotes / references
[1]
Railjet (RJ), the high-speed-train of ÖBB
Intercity-Express (ICE)
Map of the main network in Austria
InterCity (IC) on the Semmering railway
A ÖBB EuroCity (EC) train in Bozen, South Tyrol
RegionalExpress train (REX) in Vienna
Regional train (R) in Styria
The Vienna S-Bahn is a suburban metro railway network in the Metropolitan area of Vienna
A freight train of Rail Cargo Austria
Shunting locomotive in Upper Austria
The ÖBB runs 9 classification yards in Austria
Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, a junction between local and long-distance transport routes
The current main hall of Linz Hauptbahnhof
Regional train station in Krems, Lower Austria
Typical commuter rail station south of Vienna

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 (kkStB), but was incorporated into the Deutsche Reichsbahn during the 1938–1945 Anschluss. 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 Semmering Base Tunnel and the Brenner Base Tunnel connection with Italy.

Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2018 showed that satisfaction levels of Austrian rail passengers are among the highest in the European Union when it comes to punctuality, reliability and frequency of trains.[2]

Unlike other major railway companies in Europe that offer more flexible cancellation policies, ÖBB only offers two types of tickets: non-exchangeable/non-refundable tickets versus full price tickets.

History


  • 1882 – Gradual nationalisation of the railway network of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways (Kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen, kkStB). By the outbreak of the World War I, the only major railway in Austria to remain in private hands was the Austrian Southern Railway (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 Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn). This company took over the assets of the ÖStB and the Südbahn, together with other minor railways.
  • 1938 – The Anschluss of Austria into the German Empire. The BBÖ was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. During World War II 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 European Union. 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.[3]
  • 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 the Third Reich, 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.[4] The exhibition later went on tour and was presented at the European Parliament's parliamentary building in Brussels.[5]

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 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
  • Flying wheel-styled symbol with one "B" on each side of the "Ö".
  • ÖBB's second logo consists of a stylized "O" symbol with extending arrows in official use from 1974 to 2004, although it remained on countless stations and vehicles, until the mid-late 2010s. It was nicknamed as the "Pflatsch".[6][7]
  • Variant of the "Pflatsch", used mostly in 1987 as an anniversary symbol of 150 years of railways in Austria.
  • Combination of the "Pflatsch" and the current power symbol-styled logo. Since "Pflatsch" remained a very popular and famous symbol in Austria, it was very rarely used, mostly between 1998 and 2002.
  • ÖBB's current logo uses a power symbol-styled Ö. It has been in use since 2004.

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.[8]

The holding company has a number of subsidiaries[9]

  • ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG (Passenger transport)
    • ÖBB-Postbus GmbH
    • ÖBB-Produktion GmbH (50% subsidiary)
    • ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH (49% subsidiary) (railroad vehicle maintenance)
    • Rail Tours Touristik GmbH
  • Rail Cargo Austria AG (RCA) (Freight transport)
    • Rail Cargo Hungaria Zrt.
    • ÖBB-Produktion GmbH (50% subsidiary)
    • ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH (51% subsidiary)
    • Rail Cargo Logistics - Austria GmbH
  • ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG (Infrastructure planning, management, and construction)
    • ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH
    • Mungos Sicher & Sauber GmbH (Security and Cleaning)
    • Rail Equipment GmbH
  • ÖBB-Business Competence Center GmbH
  • ÖBB-Werbung GmbH
  • Q Logistics GmbH (60% subsidiary) (warehousing and transport)
  • ÖBB-Finanzierungsservice GmbH
  • iMobility GmbH (mobile app developer)

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.

At the end of 2009 it employed 17,612 staff.[8]

Österreichische Bundesbahnen
Sales Infrastructure
Passenger transport Network
Freight transport Tracks
Traction Signal-/System technology
Technical services Telekom
Power plants Energy network
Facility management Planning/Engineering
Facility management

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.[10] 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 52,500,000 km (32,621,988 mi) per year.

Principal Lines

All neighbouring railways have the same gauge.

  • Czech Republic  — voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC
  • Germany  — same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
  • Hungary  — voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC
  • Italy — voltage and frequency change to 3 kV DC
  • Liechtenstein  — same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC
  • Slovakia  — voltage and frequency change to 25 kV 50 Hz AC
  • Slovenia — voltage and frequency change to 3 kV DC
  • Switzerland  — same voltage and frequency 15 kV 16.7 Hz AC

Active Rolling Stock

Electric Locomotives

Diesel Locomotives

Electrical multiple units

Diesel Railcars

Maintenance of way equipment
  • ÖBB Class X630
  • ÖBB Class X629.9
  • ÖBB Class X626
  • ÖBB Class X556.1
  • ÖBB Class X554.3
  • ÖBB Class X552
  • ÖBB Class X534
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See also

Other railways in Austria

References
  1. "Geschäftsbericht 2019 (annual report 2019)" (PDF). https://presse.oebb.at/en/. Alphabet Inc. Retrieved June 17, 2020. External link in |website= (help)
  2. https://ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/transport/files/2018-09-18-eurobarometer-pax-rail-infographic.pdf
  3. ÖBB-Holding AG. "Aufgaben".
  4. "„Verdrängte Jahre – Bahn und Nationalsozialismus in Österreich 1938–1945"" (in German). erinnern.at. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. "The Suppressed Years Railway and National Socialism in Austria 1938 – 1945". ÖBB. 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  6. Richard Deiss: Silberling und Bügeleisen: 1000 Spitznamen in Transport und Verkehr und was dahinter steckt. Book on Demand 2010, Seite 141. ISBN 978-3-83-916269-9.
  7. Logo der Österreichischen Bundesbahnen bis 2004 - Pflatsch, ostarichi.org
  8. Richter, Karl Arne, ed. (2010). Europäische Bahnen '11. Hamburg: Eurailpress. ISBN 978-3-7771-0413-3.
  9. "Organigramm". ÖBB. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  10. "Daten & Fakten". ÖBB.

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