News

On 7 February 2025, ÖBB published photos of the new Class 4706 KISS EMU family.

Although the first railjet 2 non-traction multiple units of ÖBB have already started regular passenger service this March, tests are still underway on the Velim circuits.

On 17 July 2024, Alstom signed a long awaited contract with ÖBB to upgrade up to 449 vehicles with the ETCS OBUs.

Under this motto, ÖBB put the first nine-car railjet of the new generation into service on 22 March 2024; initially it ran on the domestic route Wien - Feldkirch on supplementary services.

On 22 March 2024, ÖBB inaugurated service for the first railjet of the new generation.

Many operators are facing the difficult problem of upgrading or retrofitting the ETCS OBUs (On-Board Units) to their Taurus locomotives. Moreover, the same is true for the railjet non-traction multiple units (NMUs) of ÖBB and ČD.

On 10 December 2023, ÖBB started operating Viaggio non-traction multiple units (NMUs) on the NJ 40420/40491 Innsbruck - Hamburg and NJ 490/491 Wien - Hamburg services, which meet at Nürnberg Hbf and on which they replaced conventional locomotive-hauled rakes.

On 6 July 2023 ÖBB and Stadler signed the contract for 35 more KISSes.

On 25 May 2023 HÜBNER announced that it will refurbish 680 gangway systems in the coming five years for the ÖBB in the railjet fleet.

ÖBB is now planning a major change to its railjet trains.

On 7 October 2022, a symbolic launch of the six-month trial operation of the 80-91 005 ČD non-powered multiple unit equipped with mobile signal repeater technology took place at the main railway station in Prague.

On 22 - 24 March 2022, ČD together with Siemens Mobility carried out a practical verification of the Vectron - railjet communication. 

On 16 May 2021, switching tests between the 15 kV 16.7 Hz and 3 kV DC voltages took place at the border crossing station Spielfeld-Strass with a railjet rake and Taurus and Vectron locomotives.

Between 14 and 16 June, international passenger services from the Czech Republic in the directions to Austria and Germany were restored, this including the operation of railjet Praha - Wien - Graz services and “Berliner” Praha - Berlin - Hamburg (- Kiel) services. At the same time, this enabled start of one new direct Graz - Wien - Praha - Berlin railjet service.