Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has confirmed it has purchased 35 new KISS double-decker multiple units from Stadler.
The order will be a mix of long and short distance vehicles, with 14 trains to be equipped for long distance alongside 21 for local services.
The order follows on from a framework agreement signed between ÖBB and Stadler in 2022 with OBB ordering 186 double-decker multiple units over a number of years. Deployment of the trains is scheduled from mid-2026 and is the second order for the KISS Railjet model that OBB has placed.
The new KISS vehicle will be reconfigured from current designs and will feature new interior design and an innovative passenger information system that will display real-time information. The six car long distance vehicles are planned to travel at 200 kilometres per hour.
Peter Spuhler, executive chairman of Stadler’s Board of Directors said: “Stadler and ÖBB have set themselves the goal of jointly modernising Austrian rail transport. With its high degree of innovation, our KISS model is an essential solution for passenger- and environmentally-friendly rail transport – on both local and long-distance routes.
“We would like to thank ÖBB for their trust in us. We look forward to working together to deliver the next generation of double-decker multiple units for Austria.”
Since 2008, OBB had operating seven-car non-traction multiple units (NMU) from Siemens Mobility with Siemens Mobility taking an order for eight second generation NMU’s in 2018.
Andreas Matthä, OBB CEO said: "At ÖBB, the passenger boom continues: Long-distance transport recorded a total of 41.6 million passengers in 2022 - even surpassing our previous record year of 2019. Not only are we very proud of this result, but we are also implementing other measures to further increase capacity on our trains.”
“We are investing in the heart of our long-distance service - the Railjet - and will be adding modern Railjet double-decker trains to the existing fleet for the first time"
Photo Credit: Stadler
Video Credit: OBB/Stadler
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