The year 2023 was particularly successful for the private railway operator Westbahn, with 7,7 million passengers, more passengers than ever before. It was also a record year financially, as people earned more than ever before.

According to the announcement, this was the highest-turnover financial year for Rail Holding AG, to which the operational Westbahn Management GmbH belongs. The preliminary figures for 2023 show a three-digit total turnover of over 120 million euros. With an increase of around 35% compared to the previous year, this is above expectations. “Compared to 2022, we achieved an increase in passengers of around 34%. The Western Railway therefore plays a highly relevant role for travelers in Austria and is now an indispensable part of the Western route,” explains Managing Director Florian Kazalek. “2023 was an excellent year for Westbahn. We were able to increase sales, manage costs well and increase profits. You could say that the Westbahn has grown up and has finally reached the point where we would have seen ourselves a few years ago. Our earning power and liquidity are the solid basis for further growth.” This should also be reflected in an increase in profits, which are expected to be over 10 million euros. Exact figures will be published after the annual financial statements and the general meeting.

“The positive development enables us to further expand our sustainable mobility offering. The last few years have shown that economically successful passenger rail transport in Austria is possible on your own – with the right product and a first-class quality promise. We owe this to our employees. They work hard every day to provide excellent care for our passengers on the trains. Our team is characterized by warmth rather than friendliness. “Friendliness can be ordered, warmth comes from within,” explains Managing Director Thomas Posch.

Extension of the Munich route to Stuttgart central station announced

The manager announces that the workforce will be increased by around 20 percent to 350 employees. We are particularly looking for reinforcements in the areas of on-board staff, train drivers and customer service. The additional staff is also needed for the planned increase in trains to Vorarlberg and the extension of the Munich route to Stuttgart main station. “Our trains have been running from Vienna Westbahnhof to Munich for almost two years, to Innsbruck for over a year and, with the route extension to Vorarlberg, we have now been integrating all federal states along the WEST route into our national offer for 7 weeks,” says Managing Director Thomas Posch.

In addition to an additional daytime connection to Vorarlberg, the travel time to the Ländle is to be shortened by a total of around an hour - while maintaining all stops. The next expansions to Stuttgart are already planned for December. This new direct connection is intended to offer travelers the opportunity to travel directly to Stuttgart via Munich, Augsburg, Günzburg (Legoland) and Ulm in just a few hours - initially twice a day from Vienna Westbahnhof towards Stuttgart and back.