Westbahn takes on Vienna-Munich

Stadler Kiss 3 of the Westbahn (Photo: Schedl / WESTbahn).
Stadler Kiss 3 of the Westbahn (Photo: Schedl / WESTbahn).

Westbahn takes on Vienna-Munich

Stadler Kiss 3 of the Westbahn (Photo: Schedl / WESTbahn).
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The new Kiss-3 sets of the private railway company Westbahn were presented to the public on Monday. The trains manufactured by Stadler are the first to be on the road in Austria with approval from the European Railway Agency.

Some time ago, the Westbahn surprised with the sale of the entire fleet to Deutsche Bahn AG. At that time, the sets were still very young. These are replaced by brand-new trains, also from Stadler. This is the Kiss-3 type.

The shareholders Hans Peter Haselsteiner and Erhard Grossnigg as well as Managing Director Erich Forster and Ministry Secretary General Herbert Kasser presented the new trains to the public on Monday. Another reason is that the Westbahn will take part in the so-called climate ticket. The timetable is to be expanded by eight connections per day.

With the timetable change, the next, for the first time also international, step of the Westbahn will follow: From December 12, 2021, the new KISS 3 will offer up to six continuous connections per day between Vienna Westbahnhof and Munich Hauptbahnhof. The stop in Munich East ensures that you can easily change to the S-Bahn to Munich Airport. Also after the timetable change, the Westbahn, in cooperation with the State of Salzburg and the Salzburger Verkehrsverbund, will also stop in the morning with two trains to Salzburg and in the afternoon with three trains from Salzburg in Straßwalchen, Neumarkt am Wallersee and Seekirchen am Wallersee.

Dr. Hans Peter Haselsteiner, DI Herbert Kasser, Dr. Erhard Grossnigg, Dr. Erich Forster (Photo: Schedl / WESTbahn).

The proven lightweight aluminum construction concept was further optimized for the third fleet: the weight of the set was reduced by two tons despite the expanded technical equipment, which means that the KISS 3 uses around 25 percent less energy for a journey from Vienna to Salzburg than other fleets on this route. In addition, the KISS 3 are "route-friendly" on the infrastructure, as the maximum axle load is only around 18,5 t (and thus around 3,5 t below other common long-distance trains). The KISS 3 are even better equipped for operational operation than the fleets before: Equipping the trains with the currently most modern train control system ETCS Level 2 - Baseline 3 means more fail-safe and better and clearer information for the employees in the traction vehicle and at the Infrastructure.

Westbahn introduces three-class system

Improvements for the well-being of passengers, such as increased pressure on the trains, adjustments to the air conditioning system and an optimized toilet system with disinfectant dispenser round off the structural advances in KISS 3. The clearest improvement for everyone who travels a lot is the Westbahn's introduction of a new class: In the course of expanding from a two-class to a three-class concept, there is a difference between the 2nd class (new name: Standard Class, color orange) and the 1st class (new name: First Class, color yellow) in the KISS 3 offers Comfort Class 2+ (color petrol). The associated color coding of the entrance doors of the KISS 3 helps travelers to better orient themselves; It also determines the color of the guidance system inside the train and runs through to the reservations made online.

Stadler Kiss 3 of the Westbahn (Photo: Schedl / WESTbahn).

For First Class on the upper deck of end car 16, a route-dependent upgrade price will be charged (as was previously the case with PLUS). For the use of the Comfort Class, which is located on the upper and lower deck of end car 11 and on the lower deck of end car 16, there is an upgrade of 6,90 euros (or 3,50 euros for everyone with an ÖBB Vorteilscard, only if booked in advance) to use. A seat reservation is included in the upgrade tariff. At the same time, the price for seat reservations in Standard Class will be reduced from 5 euros to 2,90 euros.

The new Relax Check-in guarantees all travelers, regardless of which ticket they are traveling with, an even more relaxed journey. By connecting your own ticket QR code with the new seat QR code and checking in for the journey, you “save” yourself having to check tickets for the crew. Reading, focused work or sleeping is then usually possible without any further "disturbance". With every Relax Check-in, travelers also collect WestPoints (1 euro ticket value = 1 Westpunkt), which they can redeem for additional tickets or simply a coffee on the next trip using the new QR / NFC payment module in Westcafés.

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