AUSTRIAN open-access passenger operator Westbahn has applied to Schienen-Control to extend its existing Vienna – Salzburg service to Innsbruck starting on December 12.
Westbahn envisages a journey time of 4h 17min for the Vienna – Innsbruck trip. Trains would depart Vienna Westbahnhof at 06.12, 08.12, 10.12, 12.12 and 17.12 returning from Innsbruck at 06.31, 11.31, 13.31, 15.31 and 17.31. The trains will call at Kurstein and Wörgl between Salzburg and Innsbruck.
The operator will use its existing fleet of Stadler Kiss six-car EMUs which each have 506 seats to operate the new service.
Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) currently operates an hourly-interval Railjet service between Vienna Main Station and Innsbruck which takes 4 14min.
“The growth of Klimaticket subscriptions and the flat passenger-km rate received has opened up the possibility of extending the Vienna - Salzburg service to Innsbruck which ÖBB serves under a PSO contract,” Westbahn told IRJ recently.
