Siemens on track for Austria

Austrian Federal Railway has placed an order worth €244 million with Siemens for 23 trains.

The seven-unit Railjet trains have a top speed of 230 km/h and will operate both within Austria and on routes to neighbouring countries. Design, construction and fitting will take place at Siemens Transportation Systems in Vienna.

Also included in the purchasing agreement is an option for a further 40 Railjets with an additional value of €424 million. Delivery is scheduled for between 2008 and 2009.

The Railjets will be pulled by Siemens Taurus locomotives, which the Austrian Federal Railway is already using and will adapt accordingly. Siemens said the aim is for the new trains to cover the journey from Vienna to Salzburg in two hours and ten minutes.