WESTbahn


WESTbahn Management GmbH is an open access railway company operating express train services on Austria's Western Railway since 11 December 2011. The French railway company SNCF has a 26 percent stake in WESTbahn.
Associated company WESTbus, became part of the Flixbus network.

Services

WESTbahn operates one service between Vienna and Salzburg in competition to the government-owned ÖBB. The trains run in one-hour intervals. This service calls at Wien Westbahnhof, Wien-Hütteldorf, St. Pölten Hbf, Amstetten, Linz Hbf, Wels Hbf, Attnang-Puchheim and Salzburg Hbf. From its start of operation until September 2013 the service continued to Salzburg Taxham Europark and Freilassing due to the rebuilding of Salzburg Hbf.
The fleet consists of 7 Stadler KISS bilevel trains, each with six coaches, a total length of 150 metres, a top-speed of 200 km/h, acceleration of 0.85 m/s² and a capacity of 501 leather seats. The passengers are able to use WLAN for free on the trains. Every coach is serviced by an attendant. 85 percent of WESTbahn's 200 employees are on-board staff.
Each train also has a dining car with 8 seats and vending machines for cold and warm beverages. Snacks are available for purchase as well. One of the coaches is reserved for premium passengers and is called WESTbahn Plus.
In December 2014 WESTbahn ordered 10 additional Stadler Rail double-deck electric multiple-units. The €180m order would cover nine four-car Stadler KISS EMUs and one six-car unit.

RAIL Holding AG

On 5 June 2012, the CEO Stefan Wehinger, a former ÖBB director, resigned on diverging views about the company's strategy. He was replaced by Erich Forster, who was promoted from the position of sales manager.
Board of Directors includes Benedikt Weibel, Hans Peter Haselsteiner, Erhard F. Grossnigg and Frank Bernard
Ownership Haselsteiner Family-Private Foundation, Augusta Holding , and SNCF