Westbahn Starts Ticket Sales for the Southern Route

The ÖBB competitor Westbahn will start its operations on the Südbahn on March 1. Two new train sets necessary for this will be delivered in mid-February. From March 16, a third train will serve the Vienna-Villach route and back five times daily, said Westbahn managing directors Thomas Posch and Marco Ramsbacher to journalists in Vienna on Monday. Westbahn would have liked to have a fourth train set, but did not get it.

Westbahn Starts on the Südbahn on March 1

Even if the three trains had been delivered earlier, Westbahn would have liked to start the south connection earlier. It should take 3:30 hours from Vienna to Villach. Although this is not quite the fastest connection, they offer four additional stops that are not served by ÖBB on the direct connection, including Wiener Neustadt and the tourist destinations Semmering, Klopeiner See, and Pörtschach, according to Posch. You can travel to Klopeiner See from Vienna in less than three hours.

Quota for Cheap Tickets

Westbahn will offer a quota of cheap tickets on each connection. How many there are depends on the expected travel demand. From Vienna to Graz, it will start at 8.99 euros, from Vienna to any destination in Carinthia at 18.99 euros, from Graz to Carinthia at 8.99. The full price for a trip from Vienna to Graz is 39.90 euros, from Vienna to Klagenfurt 59.90. Most passengers, however, either have a discount card or pay less as seniors.

Westbahn is proud that with every online booking, a seat reservation is included at no extra charge. Those traveling with the climate ticket can also book a seat at no extra charge. The organizational problem that you cannot travel from Graz to Villach with two regional climate tickets for Styria and Carinthia cannot be solved by Westbahn, said Posch. However, he is confident that "the last word has not yet been spoken" on this matter.

Hourly Service from 2030

From the end of 2029/beginning of 2030, with the opening of the Semmering tunnel, Westbahn plans to operate hourly between Vienna and Klagenfurt. To obtain the necessary trains for this, orders must be placed by 2026. This expansion of service is not linked to the controversial purchase of train sets from the Chinese manufacturer CRRC; the trains from China will be used on the Westbahn route in the future.

On the Südbahn, vehicles leased from the manufacturer Stadler for an initial period of six years will be used, which are to be maintained by Stadler in Siebenbrunn. Maintenance will be carried out overnight so that the trains can be used continuously. Posch expects a "99.7 percent" availability. Westbahn will create around 80 new jobs for the new connection, and they are looking for employees, said Ramsbacher. This is in addition to investments and personnel from Stadler.

(APA/Red)

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