Erlangen, Germany – Siemens Transportation Systems (TS) has received an order from the Austrian Federal Railway (passenger services) for 23 seven-unit Railjet trains. The value of the order amounts to 244 million euros. Also included in the purchasing agreement is an option for a further 40 Railjets with an additional value of 424 million euros. The new trains will have a maximum speed of up to 230 kilometers per hour and will be the top-of-the-line vehicles in Austrian rail transportation. Intended for use in Austria and neighboring countries, they will be delivered in 2008 and 2009.

The technical basis for the trains will be the tried-and-tested Intercity vehicles from Siemens. Overall conception and technical design of the car bodies, including the interior fittings and equipment, will take place at Siemens Transportation Systems in Vienna. With a train length of 205 meters, there will be a total of 469 seats in the three classes, namely Premium, Business and Economy. The Railjets will be pulled by Siemens Taurus locomotives, which the Austrian Federal Railway is already using and will adapt to the exterior design of the Railjets. With the Railjets from Siemens, the Austrian Federal Railway wants to lay down a milestone in the reinforcement of customer orientation and the opening up of new markets. The aim is to complete the route from Vienna to Salzburg in just two hours and ten minutes with the new trains.