Austrian Federal Railways
The Austrian Federal Railways (German: Österreichische Bundesbahnen, ÖBB) is the national railway system of Austria, and the administrators of Liechtenstein's railways. The ÖBB group is owned entirely by the Republic of Austria and is divided into several separate businesses that manage the infrastructure and operate passenger and freight services.
The ÖBB are the successor to the Bundesbahn Österreich (BBÖ, Federal Railway of Austria) which was incorporated into the Deutsche Reichsbahn between 1938 and 1945, and which itself was the successor of the kkStB (Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways).
Major changes currently being made to the Austrian railway network are the construction of the Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna main station), the Koralm Railway and the Brenner Base Tunnel connection with Italy.
History
- 1882 – Gradual nationalisation of the railway network of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy into the Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways (Kaiserlich-königliche österreichische Staatsbahnen).
- 1923 – Foundation of the independent, commercial enterprise, the Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen) which used the abbreviation BBÖ, because ÖBB was already taken by the Swiss Oensingen-Balsthal-Bahn.
- 1938 – The Anschluss of Austria into the German Empire. The BBÖ was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. During the Second World War about 41 % of the Austrian railway network was destroyed.
- 1947 – The ÖBB (by that time the Swiss private railway used the abbreviation SP for its goods wagons in international traffic, so its abbreviation ÖBB could now be appropriated) were reformed as a state-owned company. Their infrastructure was rebuilt and electrification was accelerated.
- 1969 – A new federal railway law was enacted. The ÖBB became a non-independent, economic entity, that was run as a branch of the government's industrial programme and remained entirely within the Federal budget.
- 1992 – The ÖBB were broken out of the federal budget and turned into company with its own legal status (a cross between a GmbH and an AG in Austrian commercial terms). The company is 100 % owned by the Republic of Austria. This change had two primary aims: 1. It had to conform to EU rules on the admission of Austria into the European Union. 2. The financial demand on the public purse was to be reduced as a result of improvements in efficiency and the pressure of competition.
- 2004 – The ÖBB were reorganised into ÖBB Holding AG and a number of operating subsidiaries. The holding company was to oversee the operations of the companies assigned to it, coordinate a coherent strategic approach and allocate tasks for the whole enterprise.[2]
- 1 January 2005 – The subsidiaries of ÖBB-Holding AG became autonomous and independent operationally. See below.
The Austrian rail system is largely electrified. Electrification of the system began in 1912 but did not reach an advanced state until the 1950s. The last steam locomotive in regular service on the standard gauge network was retired in 1978.
The post-war laws related to the Austrian railways were the:
- Eisenbahngesetz (EisbG 1957),
- Schieneninfrastrukturfinanzierungsgesetz (SCHIG 1999),
- Eisenbahnhochleistungsstreckengesetz (HIG 1999) and
- Bundesbahngesetz (1992).
Current structure
On 1 January 2005 a new organisation structure was put in place, which is consolidated by a single shareholder, namely the Republic of Austria.[3]
ÖBB-Holding AG (a holding company which gives a strategic overview of the railway)
- ÖBB-Dienstleistungs GmbH
- ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG (Infrastructure planning, management, and construction)
- Brenner Eisenbahn GmbH
- ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH
- ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG (Maintenance of railway lines, stations, and infrastructure)
- ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG (Passenger transport)
- Rail Cargo Austria AG (Freight transport)
Subsidiary companies of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG and Rail Cargo Austria AG are:
- ÖBB-Produktion GmbH (provision of locomotives)
- ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH (technical services)
The business units are based on the separation of sales and infrastructure.
| Österreichische Bundesbahnen |
| Sales |
Infrastructure |
| Passenger transport |
Network |
| Freight transport |
Tracks |
| Traction |
Signal-/System technology |
| Technical services |
Telekom |
| Power plants |
Energy network |
| Facility management |
Planning/Engineering |
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Facility management |
Statistics
According to the Annual Report 2007, the company employs 42,893, thereof 9,273 employees, 32,299 tenured employees and 1,321 apprentices. In 2007, ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG carried 447 million passengers of which 238 million were bus passengers.[4]
The ÖBB has
- 5,700 km (3,500 route miles); 57% electrified
- 1,230 locomotives.
- 3,136 passenger vehicles
- 220 Electrical Multiple Unit
- 145 Diesel Multiple Unit
- ÖBB's bus services travel 52,500,000 km (32,621,988 mi) per year.
Principal Lines
Rail links to adjacent countries
See also
Other railways in Austria
Notes
- ^ a b c d Österreichische Bundesbahnen: Geschäftsbericht 2009 (download als pdf)
- ^ ÖBB-Holding AG: Aufgaben
- ^ ÖBB-Holding AG: new organizational divisions
- ^ Annual Report 2007 statistic data
- ^ Described by the operator, Linz AG Linien In German
References
External links
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Austrian Federal Railways
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| Current departments (post 2008) |
ÖBB Personenverkehr · Rail Cargo Austria · ÖBB Infrastruktur Betrieb · ÖBB Infrastruktur Bau · ÖBB Dienstleistungs |
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| Current subsidiaries (post 2008) |
ÖBB Traktion · ÖBB Technische Services · ÖBB Postbus · Speditions Holding · ÖBB Immobilien Management · Brenner Eisenbahn (for the Brenner Base Tunnel) |
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| International Services |
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| Former business areas |
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| History |
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National railway companies of Europe
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