Three Austrian states agree joint tender for battery-hybrid trains

Tyrol, Salzburg and Styria have agreed to jointly tender for new vehicles for their narrow-gauge railways, ORF reported on Friday. The tender is expected to begin by early next week.

The Zillertalbahn in Tyrol, the Pinzgau Railway in Salzburg and the Murtal Railway in Styria will take part. Joint procurement is intended to reduce both acquisition and maintenance costs.

From 2027, an additional 25 million euros will be made available each year, increasing the total budget to around 114 million euros. The Mobility Ministry said the funding would allow the infrastructure upgrades needed to replace diesel trains with modern battery-hybrid vehicles.

Tyrol’s transport minister, Rene Zumtobel, said the three states and the federal government had harmonised the tender documents so that all three railways could benefit from savings in procurement and maintenance. He said the project remained on schedule, with the new battery-hybrid vehicles due to enter service in the Zillertal in 2030.

Infrastructure Minister Peter Hanke described the agreement as an example of efficient use of public funds. He said reliable and modern rail services were needed in rural regions as well as in cities.

The ministry said the three railways were central to commuter transport in their regions and important connections for tourism. Switching to modern propulsion systems would also help decarbonise transport, while the investment would generate orders for the rail industry, infrastructure construction and regional businesses.

Franz Hörl, a Tyrolean member of parliament and chairman of the Zillertalbahn’s supervisory board, called the agreement a good day for the Zillertal. He said the financing and timetable for the switch to battery-hybrid trains were now in place.