ÖBB opens Vienna service centre for double-decker trains

ÖBB has opened a new service centre for double-decker trains in Vienna’s Floridsdorf district, ORF reported. About 150 employees will maintain the trains at the facility.

The centre on Angerer Straße covers 16,500 square metres and will service both Cityjet and new Railjet double-decker trains. The hall was designed specifically for these train types and is intended to support efficient maintenance, parallel work and shorter servicing times.

ÖBB invested about 100 million euros in the facility. Its equipment includes an underfloor full-train lifting system that can raise a six-carriage double-decker train weighing up to 327 tonnes in about three and a half minutes. This allows bogies, axles and other vehicle components to be replaced quickly and safely.

Roof-level work platforms and maintenance pits support work on the trains’ roofs and undercarriages. Pivoting overhead lines allow the power supply to be switched on or off as needed, creating safer working conditions.

The centre has eight tracks for maintenance, repairs and logistics. Seven are used for vehicle maintenance, while the eighth is a loading track for heavy components such as bogies and large parts. The facility will also carry out routine maintenance, rapid repairs and graffiti removal.

“Modern trains need modern workshops,” ÖBB chief Andreas Matthä said. The quality the railway wants to offer passengers, he said, begins with maintenance. Vienna transport councillor Barbara Novak said investments such as the ÖBB service centre would strengthen Vienna as an economic centre and prepare it for the future.