Railjet
Encyclopedia
The Railjet is a high speed
train
of the Austrian Federal Railways
(ÖBB), which was introduced with the timetable change of 2008–2009 and operates at speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph), with a planned increase to 230 km/h (143 mph) by 2013. The railjet is the premier service of the ÖBB and operates both domestically within Austria
and on international services to adjacent countries.
or Shinkansen
designs ÖBB opted for locomotive-hauled push-pull
high-speed trains, which could be hauled by its existing fleet of Taurus high speed Siemens EuroSprinter
electric locomotives. On 9 February 2006, 9 months after receiving sealed bids, the board of directors of the Austrian Federal Railways awarded Siemens a contract to build 23 sets of 7 coach trains, with the Siemens design viewed to be the best as well as the least expensive. In September 2007 Siemens received an additional order for 44 more Railjet trains from the Austrian Federal Railways. The total value of the order was €798 million for 469 passenger carriages.
, then Innotrans
in late September and then at Salzburger Verkehrstage on 15 October.
The first railjet trains began test runs in late 2008. Commercial services started on 14 December 2008 between Munich
, Vienna
and Budapest
. In December 2009 service started between Vienna and Zurich
and Bregenz
.
Operations on the routes Vienna to Graz
, Ljubljana
and/or Zagreb
, and from Vienna to Villach
and Venice
and for an increased service between Vienna and Bregenz/Zurich via Salzburg
and Innsbruck
are also planned from the end of 2010 onwards.
On completion of the track improvement works on the Westbahn to allow running at between 200–230 km/h (124.3–142.9 mph) (expected 2012) the journey time between Salzburg
and Vienna
will be ~2hr20min.
); the sets were originally built for an uncompleted order for ÖBB, CD's trainsets are to be hauled by Skoda
's ČD Class 380
electric locomotives.
. The number of carriages per train can be extended up to ten in a single train unit.
The industrial design
company Spirit Design was contracted to provide an exterior and interior design, three colour schemes were presented and the livery to be used was decided by poll conducted by the Austrian tabloid Kronen Zeitung
. In 2009 the railjet design was given a Red Dot award.
Premium class has the highest level of service, premium seating for 16 premium passengers is located in the front part of the control car
at the opposite end of the train to the locomotive. The seating plan is in an 'open compartments' style,Similar to a Corridor coach
layout, but open plan and doorless and intended to be an considerable improvement over previous first class accommodation. A galley
separates the premium and business class compartments.
Business class seating occupies the remainder of the control car, the second coach and half of the third coach which also contains spaces and facilities for wheel chair users. 76 seats are provided in [2+1] formation. The remainder of the third coach contains the restaurant which provides an at seat service. The remaining four coaches provide 316 economy class seats in [2+2] formation, the fourth coach also contains a family/childrens area.
From the thirty eighth set of trains onwards the galley is replaced with a seated restaurant area.
The passenger cars are equipped with electropneumatic disc brakes (3 per axle in SF400 bogies), as well as electromagnetic track brakes (Eddy current brake), and a parking brake. The driving trailer also has a manually operated brake using the disc brakes. Primary bogie suspension is by coil spring, and secondary suspension is pneumatic. The driving trailers are designated 'Afmpz', the premium and business class vehicle 'Ampz', the 'bistro' or restaurant car 'ARbmpz' and the economy class cars 'Bmpz'.
The intermediate passenger wagon bodyshells are manufactured by Siemens in Maribor
, Slovenia. Final assembly takes place at the rail works at Simmering, Vienna
; the first three trains were assembled by Siemens, the remainder by ÖBB Technische Services. The driving trailers are manufactured by ÖBB Infrastruktur Bauunder subcontract to Siemens.
Siemens is the main contractor for the vehicles and markets the coach design as Viaggio Comfort. Brake equipment is supplied by Knorr-Bremse
, air-conditioning by Liebherr
, and doors, carriage connections, toilets and seats are manufactured by other subcontractors.
The first twenty three ÖBB 1116 locomotives used on the railjet services were given a number of modifications; a third pantograph and the relevant train safety systems for operating outside Austria (Hungary and Switzerland) were fitted, and were fitted with a silver coloured side skirt below the floor level was fitted on the locomotives giving a more streamlined appearance. A second set of twenty locomotives were equipped only for work in Austria and Germany, and did not receive the side panels, or extra systems for international working.
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
of the Austrian Federal Railways
ÖBB
The Austrian Federal Railways is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways...
(ÖBB), which was introduced with the timetable change of 2008–2009 and operates at speeds of up to 200 km/h (124 mph), with a planned increase to 230 km/h (143 mph) by 2013. The railjet is the premier service of the ÖBB and operates both domestically within Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and on international services to adjacent countries.
History
Rather than choose electrical multiple units (EMUs) such as ICE 3ICE 3
ICE 3 is a family of high-speed EMUs of Deutsche Bahn. It includes classes 403 and 406, which are known as ICE 3 and ICE 3M respectively...
or Shinkansen
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
designs ÖBB opted for locomotive-hauled push-pull
Push-pull train
Push–pull is a mode of operation for locomotive-hauled trains allowing them to be driven from either end.A push–pull train has a locomotive at one end of the train, connected via some form of remote control, such as multiple-unit train control, to a vehicle equipped with a control cab at the other...
high-speed trains, which could be hauled by its existing fleet of Taurus high speed Siemens EuroSprinter
EuroSprinter
The EuroSprinter family of electric locomotives is a modular concept of locomotives for the European market built by Siemens. The internal Siemens product name is ES 64, with ES for EuroSprinter and the number 64 indicating the 6,400 kW power at rail.Additional information is given in the name...
electric locomotives. On 9 February 2006, 9 months after receiving sealed bids, the board of directors of the Austrian Federal Railways awarded Siemens a contract to build 23 sets of 7 coach trains, with the Siemens design viewed to be the best as well as the least expensive. In September 2007 Siemens received an additional order for 44 more Railjet trains from the Austrian Federal Railways. The total value of the order was €798 million for 469 passenger carriages.
Introduction and operations
The first unit was produced 15 September 2008, and put on display at GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, then Innotrans
InnoTrans
InnoTrans is the world's largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry. It is held every two years at the Messe Berlin exhibition centre, which has outdoor standard gauge railway sidings which can be used to exhibit railway vehicles...
in late September and then at Salzburger Verkehrstage on 15 October.
The first railjet trains began test runs in late 2008. Commercial services started on 14 December 2008 between Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. In December 2009 service started between Vienna and Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and Bregenz
Bregenz
-Culture:The annual summer music festival Bregenzer Festspiele is a world-famous festival which takes place on and around a stage on Lake Constance, where a different opera is performed every second year.-Sport:* A1 Bregenz HB is a handball team....
.
Operations on the routes Vienna to Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
and/or Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, and from Vienna to Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
and Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and for an increased service between Vienna and Bregenz/Zurich via Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
and Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
are also planned from the end of 2010 onwards.
On completion of the track improvement works on the Westbahn to allow running at between 200–230 km/h (124.3–142.9 mph) (expected 2012) the journey time between Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
will be ~2hr20min.
Railjet in the Czech Republic
In September 2011 Siemens agreed the sale of sixteen Railjet trainsets to the Czech State Railways (Ceske DrahyCeské dráhy
České dráhy or Czech Railways is the main railway operator of the Czech Republic. In 2010 its consolidated revenues reached CZK 41.0 bn...
); the sets were originally built for an uncompleted order for ÖBB, CD's trainsets are to be hauled by Skoda
Škoda
Škoda is a Czech surname and brand name. It may refer to:* Škoda Auto, automobile manufacturer in the Czech Republic...
's ČD Class 380
ČD Class 380
The Class 380 is Škoda's entry into the modern electric locomotive market. Internally designated Type 109E, the locomotives were originally conceived in 2004 and designed for operation in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia as well as the Czech Republic.The locomotives are equipped to...
electric locomotives.
Design
A Railjet train set consists of seven individual coaches that are permanently coupled with airtight between-coach interconnections but with buffer and hook couplings on the outer ends of the set of coaches suitable for buffer and chain screw coupling Two complete train sets with two locomotives can be run as a pair giving a train of fourteen carriages. The coach furthest from the locomotive acts as a control carControl car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
. The number of carriages per train can be extended up to ten in a single train unit.
The industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
company Spirit Design was contracted to provide an exterior and interior design, three colour schemes were presented and the livery to be used was decided by poll conducted by the Austrian tabloid Kronen Zeitung
Kronen Zeitung
The Kronen Zeitung, commonly known as the Krone, is Austria's largest newspaper. According to a Österreichische Media-Analyse study, the average daily readership is 2,970,000 , which corresponds to 43,7% of all newspaper readers...
. In 2009 the railjet design was given a Red Dot award.
Passenger accommodation
Railjet trains have three levels of service; economy, business and premium classes.Premium class has the highest level of service, premium seating for 16 premium passengers is located in the front part of the control car
Control car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
at the opposite end of the train to the locomotive. The seating plan is in an 'open compartments' style,Similar to a Corridor coach
Corridor coach
A corridor coach is a type of railway passenger coach divided into compartments and having a corridor down one side of the coach to allow free movement along the train and between compartments....
layout, but open plan and doorless and intended to be an considerable improvement over previous first class accommodation. A galley
Galley (kitchen)
The galley is the compartment of a ship, train or aircraft where food is cooked and prepared. It can also refer to a land based kitchen on a naval base or a particular formed household kitchen.-Ship's kitchen:...
separates the premium and business class compartments.
Business class seating occupies the remainder of the control car, the second coach and half of the third coach which also contains spaces and facilities for wheel chair users. 76 seats are provided in [2+1] formation. The remainder of the third coach contains the restaurant which provides an at seat service. The remaining four coaches provide 316 economy class seats in [2+2] formation, the fourth coach also contains a family/childrens area.
From the thirty eighth set of trains onwards the galley is replaced with a seated restaurant area.
Passenger vehicles' construction
The vehicles' bodies are of a ribbed constructed from cold rolled steel, with the driving trailer deriving its forward end shape from the Taurus locomotives.The passenger cars are equipped with electropneumatic disc brakes (3 per axle in SF400 bogies), as well as electromagnetic track brakes (Eddy current brake), and a parking brake. The driving trailer also has a manually operated brake using the disc brakes. Primary bogie suspension is by coil spring, and secondary suspension is pneumatic. The driving trailers are designated 'Afmpz', the premium and business class vehicle 'Ampz', the 'bistro' or restaurant car 'ARbmpz' and the economy class cars 'Bmpz'.
The intermediate passenger wagon bodyshells are manufactured by Siemens in Maribor
Maribor
Maribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, Slovenia. Final assembly takes place at the rail works at Simmering, Vienna
Simmering (Vienna)
Simmering is the 11th district of Vienna, Austria . It borders the Danube and was established as a district in 1892. Simmering has several churches, some museums, schools, old castles, and many cemeteries.- History :...
; the first three trains were assembled by Siemens, the remainder by ÖBB Technische Services. The driving trailers are manufactured by ÖBB Infrastruktur Bauunder subcontract to Siemens.
Siemens is the main contractor for the vehicles and markets the coach design as Viaggio Comfort. Brake equipment is supplied by Knorr-Bremse
Knorr-Bremse
Knorr-Bremse is a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles that has operated in the field for over 100 years. The company also produces door systems for rail vehicles and torsional dampers. In 2009, the Group's workforce of over 14,000 achieved worldwide sales of EUR 2.761...
, air-conditioning by Liebherr
Liebherr
* The Liebherr Group, a German manufacturing complex established in 1949 by Hans Liebherr* Liebherr Grazer AK* Liebherr T 282B, an off- highway, ultra class, rigid frame, two- axle, diesel/electricappointed...
, and doors, carriage connections, toilets and seats are manufactured by other subcontractors.
Traction
The railjet vehicles are designed to be propelled in push pull mode by standard locomotives, specifically the Taurus locomotives already owned by the Austrian Federal Railways, but can also be hauled by any other electric or diesel locomotives.The first twenty three ÖBB 1116 locomotives used on the railjet services were given a number of modifications; a third pantograph and the relevant train safety systems for operating outside Austria (Hungary and Switzerland) were fitted, and were fitted with a silver coloured side skirt below the floor level was fitted on the locomotives giving a more streamlined appearance. A second set of twenty locomotives were equipped only for work in Austria and Germany, and did not receive the side panels, or extra systems for international working.