ÖBB‘s KISSes will start passenger operation
updated on 27th May 2026 14:40 posted on 7th May 2026 00:24
On 6 May 2026, the ÖBB‘s new Cityjet Doppelstock EMU carried out its inaugural run on the Wien Hbf - Wiener Neustadt route and back. This was possible on account of the fact that in mid-April 2026 the Class 4734 and 4736 KISSes have been approved for operation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The approval for Austria was already achieved in 2025.
In April 2022, ÖBB signed a framework agreement for up to 186 KISSes for 15 kV 16.7 Hz and 25 kV 50 Hz with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. From this, 20 six-car and 21 four-car units were ordered at that time, which were given the Class designations 4734 and 4736. The contract stipulated that deliveries would begin with the Class 4736s (units 4736 101 to 120, deliveries 2024 to 2026), the first of these were scheduled to enter service in December 2025. Subsequently production of Class 4734s were to continue (4734 101 to 121, deliveries 2024 to 2026).
In July 2023, 21 four-car units were ordered (4734 122 to 142, deliveries scheduled until 2027) and finally 47 more four-car sets in August 2024 (4734 143 to 189, deliveries until 2030). Both classes have the same power output of 5,200 kW, and the dual-voltage traction equipment will also allow these KISSes to operate in Hungary.
From 15 June 2026, KISSes are scheduled to start regular passenger service, initially exclusively on the CJX9 Wien - Wiener Neustadt line and to Payerbach/Reichenau. Subsequently, they will also start running on the north-south REX lines Znojmo/Retz - Wien and Břeclav/Bernhardsthal - Wien. In the future, there are plans to also operate on the Wien - Marchegg - Bratislava line, but the exact start date of this service is not yet known. The new depot in Floridsdorf will officially open in September.
ÖBB is investing approximately 1.5 billion EUR in 109 KISS Cityjet EMUs: these are 20 six-car Class 4736 units and 89 four-car Class 4734 units. In early January 2026, all 20 Class 4736s and eight Class 4734s had been built; of this number, 26 trains were present in Austria. 45 of these KISSes are to be deployed by the end of 2026. The introduction of this batch is part of ÖBB's largest investment program, which includes 6.1 billion EUR for the purchase of around 330 new trains by 2030.
