The Austrian Federal Railways and the Westbahn could face competition between Vienna and Munich from March 30, 2023. Flixtrain has applied to the rail control authority for the allocation of two daily train path pairs. The trains of the Flixbus sister are to be routed to Stuttgart on the German side.

There are currently two providers on the Austrian Westbahn route. The ÖBB and the private challenger have been in competition for over a decade. The Westbahn has been running since the beginning of this month also to the German city of Munich. Provided Flixtrain actually uses the requested train paths, there would be three providers in the future.

This would also mean that Westbahn and Flixtrain would compete with each other in the section between Vienna and Munich. They are currently cooperating in the field of ticket sales, because tickets for the Westbahn trains can also be bought on the Flixbus and Flixtrain websites. It is still completely open whether, in the event of a competitive situation, the tickets will be recognized by each other or whether there will be competition.

Flixtrain has applied for two daily pairs of courses. Departures from Vienna Central Station are scheduled daily at 8:46 am and 14:56 pm. The destination is Stuttgart, with the intention being to drive via Salzburg and Munich. Little is known about the intermediate stops. The Südwestpresse writes, among other things, that it should be held in Ulm and Esslingen, among other places. The trains departing from Stuttgart are scheduled to reach Vienna Hbf at 13:14 p.m. and 19:14 p.m.

Flixtrain did not want to comment on the application that was made to the Austrian regulatory authority. Reference is made to autumn 2022, because only then will you know which train paths you have actually applied for and will actually receive. Then you can comment on the plans for 2023 in more detail.

Aviation.Direct presented what Flixtrain has to offer on board the trains currently operating within Germany in the “Trip Reports” section. The article is found with this link. A portrait of the Western Railway is provided here.