Wiener Linien orders 10 additional X-Wagen metro trains

The new X-Wagen train made its passenger debut on Wiener Linien on 16 June and has since then successfully covered more than 8,000 km of service on the U3 line. During this time, the train has proven itself exceptionally well. In view of this performance, the city of Wien and WL have now ordered ten additional X trains from Siemens Mobility. The WL fleet will then be comprehensively modernized with a total of 44 FeliX trains rather than the previous 34. They will successively replace older “Silver Arrow” models and will enable fully automated metro operation for the first time in Wien on the U5 line starting in 2026.

An expansion of the X-Wagen fleet was always included as an option in the delivery contracts. Public Transport City Councilor Peter Hanke and the Technical Managing Director of Wiener Linien, Gudrun Senk, together with the CEO of Siemens Mobility Austria, Arnulf Wolfram, have now decided to expand the X-car fleet by ten additional trains. They personally toured the Siemens plant in Simmering to see how production of the metro trains is progressing.

Over the last few weeks, volumes of data and feedback from the FeliX operations were collected and analyzed, and optimizations undertaken where needed. The new train has proven to be highly reliable, and feedback from passengers has also been especially positive. Beginning on 25 September 2023, an additional X train will be put into service on the U3 line, and three X trains are expected to be operating between Simmering and Ottakring later this year. Training for the metro drivers will be conducted at the same time. As of 2024, new X-Wagen trains will be rolled out continuously and the X trains will also be introduced on the U2 line.

All X cars are developed and manufactured at Siemens Mobility’s Wien-Leberstrasse plant. The train features numerous innovations such as a completely new passenger information system and low-maintenance, airless brakes. The maintenance contract signed between WL and Siemens Mobility covering all X-Wagen trains took effect when passenger service began. Efficient maintenance of the trains will be carried out by the specially trained staff of Wiener Linien in close cooperation with experts from Siemens Mobility. The manufacturer is responsible for all maintenance activities. Deliveries are scheduled to by completed by 2030.