AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) will introduce 21 Siemens Mobility Desiro EMUs from the end of 2022.

The EMUs will be built at Siemens’ Vienna factory and have been ordered following persistent delays with the delivery of EMUs ordered from Bombardier (now Alstom), with the order formally cancelled earlier this year, despite the trains being built.

A tender for new trains was launched in January 2021, with a shortened delivery time seen as crucial in the selection of the winning bidder.

Initially the 21 Desiro ML EMUs will be used on local services around Vorarlberg.

Until the EMUs are delivered, refurbished CityJet Talent 1 trains will continue to be used on the majority of these services. Extra seating capacity will be created, and, from the start of September, an additional five Talent 1 trains will be available to provide sufficient capacity for students returning to school.

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