The Austrian Federal Minister for Transport, Alois Stöger, and the CEO of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), Christian Kern, were joined by Jochen Eickholt, CEO of the Siemens Mobility Division, in presenting the new Desiro type regional multiple-unit train for Austria at the Siemens plant in Krefeld (Germany). The first train is currently undergoing tests at the Test and Validation Center in Wegberg-Wildenrath. Tests in the Rail Tec Arsenal (RTA) climatic wind tunnel in Vienna will start in January 2015. The certification runs will then get underway in March 2015. Commissioning is scheduled for autumn 2015.
The ÖBB cityjet is a three-car electric multiple unit, which, in the commuter version, has more than 244 seats and, in the regional version, more than 259 seats per train. The commuter trains have six doors on each side; the regional trains, four. The ÖBB cityjet reaches a maximum speed of 160 km/h.
The ÖBB cityjet will be licensed to operate on all routes in Austria without restriction. It has been technically adapted to permit encounters with mainline trains traveling at 250 km/h without any problem.
High efficiency of the traction system, electrodynamic regenerative braking with energy feedback, use of heat dissipated from the traction system to heat the passenger compartments, and oil-free compressors ensure efficient and low-resource railroad operations.
ÖBB will take delivery of up to five trains per month as from December 2015 and put them into service. The last train ordered so far will go to ÖBB in January 2018.
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