Market Developments 2023
At the end of 2023, the number of railway companies operating in Austria stood at 88. Compared to 2022, several new companies have entered the market, including German freight operators BUDAMAR West, Retrack, and smart rail traction, as well as the Austrian company Graf Railservice, all of which hold infrastructure usage agreements with ÖBB-Infrastruktur. In addition, the German company TrainLog has received a safety certificate for freight operations in Austria. After a prolonged period, a new infrastructure operator, Schiene Oberösterreich, has also been established.
On the other hand, the Belgian incumbent Lineas and the Austrian company twentyone no longer have valid infrastructure usage agreements in Austria since the timetable change in December 2023. Furthermore, insolvency proceedings have been initiated for Grampetcargo Austria, and the Swiss company Transalpin Eisenbahn has been liquidated.
In total, 66 companies were authorized to operate trains on the ÖBB network during the reporting year. These can be categorized as follows: Four companies belong to the ÖBB Group, making them Austrian incumbents. Ten others are foreign incumbents or are majority-owned (more than 50 percent) directly or indirectly by foreign incumbents. Forty-one companies are privately owned (50 percent or more), while the remaining eleven are majority-owned (more than 50 percent) by public institutions. Seven companies were exclusively authorized for passenger transport, 44 for freight transport only, and 15 held licenses for both market segments.
Austrian Railways
Austraße 1
6200 Jenbach
Austria
The Achenseebahn operates the narrow-gauge cog railway from Jenbach to Lake Achensee, which serves exclusively tourist purposes during the summer months. In recent years, the company has faced increasing economic challenges, and at times, operations were suspended.
However, following bankruptcy in 2020, the state of Tyrol committed to preserving and resuming operations of the railway as a cultural asset. Currently, the federal state of Tyrol is the majority shareholder in a newly established company, alongside Zillertal Transport AG and several surrounding municipalities.
The railway line was renovated in 2021.
Rudolf-Diesel-Ring 27
83607 Holzkirchen
Germany
The company, headquartered near Munich, is a subsidiary of the German Transdev GmbH, which is owned by the private French railway group Transdev Group S.A. Since 2013, Bayerische Regiobahn has been operating regional services on routes including Munich–Rosenheim–Kufstein and Munich–Rosenheim–Salzburg.
Until 2020, these services were provided under the brand name Meridian; since then, the trains have been uniformly operating under the Bayerische Regiobahn (BRB) brand. The timetable is closely coordinated with the WESTbahn services at Salzburg Central Station.
Bollwerk 27
3001 Bern
Switzerland
Swiss Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon (BLS) Cargo, a subsidiary of BLS AG (52 percent) and French SNCF Logistics (45 percent), has held a safety certification issued by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) for Germany, Italy, and Austria since 2020.
Originally operating only on the Liechtenstein section of the ÖBB network, the company has been authorized to operate across the entire Austrian rail network since December 2021. The BLS Group runs numerous block trains, primarily in North-South transit through Switzerland, and now offers the Brenner route as an Austrian alternative to the Swiss transit corridors Lötschberg-Simplon and Gotthard towards Italy.
Harburger Schloßstraße 26
21079 Hamburg
Germany
Am Sportzentrum 12
08132 Mülsen
Germany
The company, based in Saxony, has held an infrastructure usage contract since early June 2021 and, among other activities, conducts spot market petroleum transport between Germany and Austria.
Am Grubenhof 2
33330 Gütersloh
Germany
Since November 2021, the company has held an ERA safety certificate for freight transport in Germany and Austria.
Upon receiving an infrastructure usage contract, it took over the operations of Transalpin Eisenbahn, a subsidiary of Captrain Deutschland GmbH, which exited the Austrian market in the fall of 2021. Captrain operates industrial railways in Germany and manages numerous block-train transports for coils and refinery products.
Viale Milanofiori,
Strada 3 Palazzo B10
20090 Assago (MI)
Italy
Since 2020, Captrain Italia, which is part of the French SNCF-Group, has held a safety certificate in Austria. Captrain began by managing oil transports from Italy via Tarvis to Villach. In collaboration with MEV, it also occasionally operates box-train transits over the Brenner Pass.
Lunzerstraße 41
4031 Linz
Austria
CargoServ is a subsidiary of Logistik Service GmbH (LogServ), which was founded in 2001 and is 100% owned by voestalpine Stahl GmbH. Since 2013, CargoServ has been responsible for freight transport within the ÖBB network on behalf of the voestalpine Group, while LogServ operates Austria’s largest connecting-railway at the Linz steel plant.
CargoServ handles both the delivery of ore, coal, and scrap metal, as well as the shipment of steel sheets for voestalpine Stahl GmbH. Additionally, it manages freight transports, such as petroleum and combined transport services, for other companies.
Lemböckgasse 59/16
1230 Wien
Austria
Since 2018, the subsidiary of the Czech incumbent České dráhy has been active in freight transport in Austria.
Form 2021, the expansion efforts continued with numerous ad-hoc services, primarily transporting chemical products, grain, and wood. The focus is on cross-border freight train traffic to Czechia (via the Břeclav/Hohenau and Summerau border crossings) and transit traffic along the Danube corridor. ČD Cargo also occasionally operates single wagon shipments carrying cement in Upper Austria, specifically in the Linz area and the Mühlviertel region.
Office Park
Postfach 1
1300 Wien-Flughafen
Austria
CAT is 49.9% owned by ÖBB-Personenverkehr and 50.1% by Flughafen Wien AG. As a result, the City Air Terminal Operating Company is classified as majority publicly owned.
Since 2003, the company has operated the City Airport Train (CAT) with half-hourly service between Wien-Mitte (Landstraße) station and Vienna International Airport (Schwechat). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting significant reduction in air traffic, operations were temporarily suspended starting in 2020. There was no service in 2021, and the resumption was postponed several times. As a relief measure, the CAT trains were temporarily leased to ÖBB-Personenverkehr for use in regional transport in Vorarlberg and the eastern region of Austria.
Rheinstraße 2
55116 Mainz
Germany
- Homepage
- Email (regarding issues in Austria)
- +43 1 504 2354 72
Since 2015, the 100% subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn has been active in freight transport in Austria. In March 2016, the company was rebranded from DB Schenker Rail to DB Cargo. The focus is on cross-border freight train traffic to Salzburg and Linz.
Since 2019, there has been increased collaboration with CargoServ, which handles the trains from the German border to voestalpine in Linz. There is also close cooperation with Lokomotion: nearly all transit trains over the Brenner Pass, which were previously operated in partnership with Rail Cargo Austria until the timetable change in December 2020, are now jointly managed with Lokomotion. The locomotives run the entire route from Germany to the Brenner Pass.
Hlubinská 1378/36
702 00 Ostrava - Moravská Ostrava
Czechia
The Czech subsidiary of DB Cargo, has held an infrastructure usage contract since 2020 and operated numerous trains in Austria since 2021. For instance, oil trains were routed from the Czech Republic via the Northern and Western railway lines, through the German corridor, the Arlberg, and Switzerland to Germany. Additionally, the Marchegg border crossing (Slovakia) is serviced with spot traffic.
Europa Allee 78-84
60486 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
The Deutsche Bahn subsidiary has held a safety certification for Austria since 2016. Until now, this has been utilized primarily for cross-border long-distance passenger services to Salzburg. DB Fernverkehr provides ICE trainsets to ÖBB-Personenverkehr for cross-border services to Vienna and Innsbruck.
In 2021, following the COVID-19 pandemic, weekly tourist ICE services to Bregenz and Landeck were offered in collaboration with ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG.
Richelstraße 3
80634 München
Germany
DB Regio is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG and operates regional services on the Mühldorf–Freilassing–Salzburg and Ehrwald–Reutte–Pfronten–Steinach routes. Since the electrification of the Vils–Pfronten-Steinach border section in mid-December 2021, trains have been running directly from Garmisch-Partenkirchen using electric power. Additionally, there are occasional services to and from Seefeld in Tirol.
Gamserstraße 23
8523 Frauental an der Laßnitz
Austria
DPB Rail Infra Service is a rail freight company headquartered in Styria. The company now has multiple branches in Austria (Poggersdorf, Vienna).
Since 2020, it has held an infrastructure usage contract. Its core business areas include construction site logistics, site safety, and, to a lesser extent, freight transport. Additionally, the company operates a training facility for railway operations personnel.
Cottagegasse 43
1180 Wien
Austria
The privately owned company has been licensed as a rail freight operator in the ÖBB network since 2012. Its main focus is on international container and block train transport along the Danube corridor, handling goods such as grain, magnesite, mineral oil, and cars. Since 2020, the company has also been involved in trailer transport (craneable semi-trailers) on the Tauern corridor between Trieste and Germany.
Madarász Viktor utca 47-49
1138 Budapest
Hungary
The Hungary-based company is majority-owned by Eurogate Intermodal, which operates terminals in German North Sea ports and offers combined transport of sea containers. Operating under the name Floyd, the company has been active in Austria since 2012, primarily running container trains as well as grain and mineral oil transports between Hungary and Germany via the Austrian Danube corridor.
In early 2022, the company changed its name to EUROGATE Rail Hungary Szolgáltató Zártköruen Muködo Részvénytársaság.
Árpád út 56
1042 Budapest
Hungary
In 2013, the Hungarian private railway was established by the founder and former owner of Floyd (Eurogate) and has been operating block trains in transit traffic along the Danube corridor since 2017, often in cooperation with Austrian rail freight companies.
EURO PLAZA, Gebäude H
Lehrbachgasse 13
1120 Wien
Austria
The sister company of WESTbahn is active in freight transport and has had an infractructure-permission since 2020. Initially, the freight trains ran under the license of WESTbahn, with which synergies (especially with regard to train drivers and IT services) were used through a service agreement.
FRACHTbahn has had an agreement on the usage of rail-infrastructure since the beginning of July 2021; the company's focus is on block train transport of liquid dangerous goods and timber transport on the Danube axis between Germany, Austria and Hungary.
Wintergasse 56
3002 Purkersdorf
Austria
The company was founded in 2013 and is part of the Austrian Plasser-&-Teurer Group. The economic focus is on test-, transfer- and approval drives for the parent company Franz Plasser, which is the world market leader in railway construction machines. The main factory is in Linz, a railway-workshop in Purkersdorf. The company is developing hybrid technology for construction machines and maintenance vehicles.
Baumgasse 57-61
1030 Wien
Austria
The company has been a subsidiary of the Nürnberger Wach- und Schließgesellschaft since 2013. Although there is an infrastructure usage contract in Austria, no significant traffic is currently carried out.
Bergerbräuhofstraße 27
5020 Salzburg
Austria
The company is a subsidiary of the Austrian construction group Hinteregger. It received a traffic permit in 2016, but a safety certificate is still pending.
Conrathstraße 6
3950 Gmünd
Austria
Köflacher Gasse 35 - 41
8020 Graz
Austria
The former integrated railway company has only been a railway transport company since July 3, 2024. GKB is 100 percent owned by the Republic of Austria. The owner of the former infrastructure is ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG. The GKB provides transport services on its former route network (Graz–Köflach and Graz – Wies-Eibiswald). At the end of 2010, the Graz-Köflacher Bahn also took over local passenger transport Graz–Werndorf – Wies-Eibiswald via the Werndorf–Wettmannstätten section on the Koralmbahn.
Until 2019, it was also the operating railway transport company for the Austrian part of the Prague–Vienna services of RegioJet. The Graz-Köflacher Bahn has a 50 percent share in LTE Logistik und Transport and the Slovenian Adria Transport.
In 2023, the service was increased in the evenings and on weekends. The renovation of Deutschlandsberg station was completed in 2024. Following the announcement of the electrification of their network by 2025, the Wies section Wettmannstätten - Wies-Eibiswald has now been fully electrified. The connecting line from the Koralmbahn is also largely completed. Both measures will be opened to traffic at the end of 2025.
Westhafenplatz 1
60327 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
The German railway-company from Frankfurt am Main is a subsidiary of the British Helrom Limited and has developed special carriages for combined transport, designed for the carriage of trucks without requiring cranes, loading facilities, or terminals. These trains have been operating in Austria since 2020 along the Danube corridor as part of the Duisburg–Vienna Freudenau route. In this context, a partnership with WienCont Container Terminal GmbH (Austria’s biggest trimodal container terminal) was announced. Since April 2024, a Helrom Trailer Rail connection has been supplying materials for three automotive industry locations (Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm and Győr) via the Austrian Danube corridor.
Kasseler Straße 28a
36179 Bebra
Germany
The German company from Hesse, whose main business is the transport of round and sawn timber and caustic potash, received a safety certificate and an infrastructure usage contract for Austria for the first time in 2020. It mainly runs trains to and from sawmills in Upper Austria.
IZ NÖ-Süd / LKW-Walter Business Park
Straße 7, Objekt 58B, Stiege 5
2355 Wiener Neudorf
Austria
The Dutch company, which is mainly active in mineral oil transport, has cooperated with MMV Rail Austria in the past and has had an infrastructure usage contract of its own since 2020. This has so far been used for transit traffic on the Danube axis between Germany and Slovakia. HSL Logistik has been part of the Mercitalia subsidiary TX Logistik since the end of 2023. The two companies complement each other in their business models: While TX Logistik focuses on regular traffic, HSL concentrates on spot traffic.
Pastorstraße 5
6010 Innsbruck
Austria
IVB is largely owned by the city of Innsbruck. In addition to the Innsbruck tram network, it operates the approximately 18-kilometer-long Stubai Valley Railway from Innsbruck to Fulpmes. These networks are connected to one another and have a track width of 1,000 millimeters. They are not connected to the ÖBB-Infrastructure network due to the different track width.
In accordance with the tram-train concept, the trains run on the tram tracks in the area between Innsbruck main station and Stubai Valley station in the city area.
Bahnhofplatz 2a
4020 Linz
Austria
LILO owns the electric local railway from Linz via Eferding to Waizenkirchen. In 1998, it was merged with the Neumarkt–Waizenkirchen–Peuerbach local railway and took over its routes. It is majority owned by the city of Linz, and in addition to Stern & Hafferl (almost a third), other neighboring communities hold shares.
The service as part of the Upper Austria S-Bahn provides for a half-hourly service between Linz main station and Eferding on weekdays, with Stern & Haferl responsible for operations. In 2021, the four-track expansion of the Westbahn line between Linz and Wels began, which means that parallel LILO tracks from Linz main station to Leonding local railway also have to be re-routed.
Lunzerstraße 41
4031 Linz
Austria
As a subsidiary of voestalpine Stahl GmbH in Linz, the company is responsible for the entire transport logistics of the group. Traffic in the ÖBB network was outsourced to the subsidiary Cargo Service (CargoServ) in 2013, and since then LogServ has been responsible for the voestalpine industrial railway network at the Linz and Leoben-Donawitz locations. It also operates Verkehrsakademie where they offer extensive training courses, including for railway staff.
Kuferzeile 32
4810 Gmunden
Austria
The company is a 100% subsidiary of Stern & Hafferl. It owns the electrified narrow-gauge railway from Gmunden to Vorchdorf, while the parent company is responsible for operational management. In 2018, the route was connected from the Gmunden Seebahnhof station via Klosterplatz and the Traunbrücke with the Gmunden tram as the so-called Stadt.Regio.Tram or Traunseetram. Since then, there has been a much denser service with up to four trips per hour.
In 2021, a new locomotive hall was built in Austria's oldest train station (Engelhof), which serves as a weather-protected passenger-station during the day. A new junction station was also built in Kirchham Sportplatz, which enabled an improved timetable from December 2021.
Kuferzeile 32
4810 Gmunden
Austria
The electrified railway line Lambach–Vorchdorf–Eggenberg was opened in 1903 and is primarily owned by the Republic of Austria. The municipalities of Lambach and Vorchdorf, as well as the state of Upper Austria, hold additional shares. Since 1931, the operation has been managed by Stern & Hafferl or its predecessor companies. Up to the station of Stadl-Paura, the line is operated by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG. Since 2024, evening services have been significantly expanded with additional connections.
Magnesitstraße 30
8614 Breitenau am Hochlantsch
Austria
The railway-company is part of the RHI Group, an international manufacturer of refractory products. It operates the electric narrow-gauge railway from Mixnitz to Breitenau, primarily used for magnesite transport.
Operations on the narrow-gauge railway, as well as on the standard-gauge connecting tracks in Mixnitz, are managed by the Steiermärkische Landesbahnen. Two to three freight trains are run on weekdays.
Kuferzeile 32
4810 Gmunden
Austria
The railway business is majority-owned by Stern & Hafferl and owns the electrified narrow-gauge railway from Vöcklamarkt to Attersee am Attersee, also known as "Attergaubahn." The track is operated by Stern & Hafferl using low-floor vehicles. The train-schedule is coordinated with ÖBB-Personenverkehr (Westbahn - Stadion Vöcklamarkt) and Attersee shipping services. Since December 2023, evening connections to Vöcklamarkt have been expanded.
Concord Business Park 1/E1/8
2320 Schwechat
Austria
As a 100% owned subsidiary of the German Lokomotion Gesellschaft für Schienentraktion mbH, the Kufstein-based company, including its office in Schwechat, has had a safety certificate since 2018.
Transport operations that the parent company does not handle itself are carried out by the Austrian subsidiary.
Kastenbauerstraße 2
81677 München
Germany
The company focuses on combined transport and block trains in transalpine rail freight transport. It is owned 30 percent each by the private Italian railway company Rail Traction Company and DB Cargo. The remaining 40 percent is held 50 percent each by Brenner Schienentransport AG (public, Italy) and Kombiverkehr GmbH. However, neither the German nor the Italian public sector has any control over the company. Lokomotion has its two major hubs in Munich and Verona and therefore mainly operates the transit routes over the Brenner and Tauern.
The other transport services in Austria are primarily carried out by the subsidiary Lokomotion Austria (see above). Since the timetable change in December 2020, a large proportion of Rail Cargo Austria's previous transit trains over the Brenner have been handled by Lokomotion in cooperation with DB Cargo. In 2021, a workshop for maintaining the locomotives was also put into operation at the Kufstein border station.
Karlauer Gürtel 1
8020 Graz
Austria
In 2017, the 100% subsidiary of LTE Logistik und Transport was founded specifically for activities in Austria. A safety certificate was issued for the first time in 2019. The company's core business is block train transport (including in the automotive and hazardous goods sectors) and combined transport on the Danube axis and over the Semmering, but connecting railways (first and last mile) are also served.
Bahnstraße 51/1
2440 Gramatneusiedl
Österreich
The company is a 50 percent subsidiary of Graz-Köflacher Bahn, the other half of the shares have been held by Rhenus Beteiligungen International GmbH from Germany since 2015. It has been operating as a holding company since 2017 and is also represented by subsidiaries in Slovakia, Hungary, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.
The LTE mainly ran on the Danube axis, but also via the Semmering to Styria, Italy and Slovenia. With the announcement that the railway company would be giving up its safety certificate, the ministry withdrew it in 2019.
Since then, all services have been provided by the subsidiary LTE Austria (see above). Together with ÖBB-Technische Services and European Locomotive Leasing (ELL, leasing company for rail vehicles), a service base called "LOCMASTA" was set up in Gramatneusiedl in 2021.
Karl Mierka Straße 7-9
3500 Krems an der Donau
Austria
The company, with its headquarter in Krems, was founded in 2006 as Rail Professionals Stütz and began freight operations in early 2011. In addition to spot services, it handles container transport on behalf of the Metrans Group from Czechia and Slovakia to Austrian terminals and in transit to the Port of Koper (Slovenia).
The company primarily serves terminals operated by Metrans (Germany, Czechia, and Slovakia). In 2013, Metrans acquired a majority share in RPS and changed the name accordingly. Metrans is itself majority-owned by HHLA Intermodal GmbH, a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (Germany).
Concorde Business Park 1/E2/14
2320 Schwechat
Austria
MEV Independent is a sister company of the German MEV Eisenbahn-Verkehrsgesellschaft, which is owned by a Swiss holding company.
While MEV typically provides transportation services only on a small scale, its main focus is on offering personnel services and consultancy to new and emerging railway operators. They also provide additional services, such as wagon inspections.
Bahnhofstraße 15 a+b
6780 Schruns
Austria
The Montafonerbahn is majority owned by the Montafon Valley Association of Municipalities. As an integrated railway company, it operates mainly passenger and, to a very small extent, freight transport with diesel traction on its own infrastructure. The route runs from Schruns to Bludenz, where it is connected to the ÖBB network.
Although the Montafonerbahn has the authorization to operate trains on the ÖBB network, it mainly conducts operational traffic in the Bludenz station. Since 2020, all trains have been offered directly or without changing trains between Schruns, Bregenz and Lindau in cooperation with ÖBB.
Bahnhofplatz 5
7041 Wulkaprodersdorf
Austria
The railway-company was established in 2010 after the division of the former Neusiedler Seebahn AG, which operated both the Hungarian and Austrian sections of the line. The Hungarian section (border at Pamhagen to Fertöszentmiklós) has since been taken over by Raaberbahn, while the Austrian section (border at Pamhagen to Neusiedl am See) remained with Neusiedler Seebahn.
Neusiedler Seebahn GmbH is owned by the Republic of Austria and the State of Burgenland (49.9% and 50.1%, respectively). The service, operated by ÖBB Personenverkehr AG, consists of an hourly schedule with increased frequency during peak times. All trains run to Vienna. Since 2023, trains have been operating cross-border every two hours to Fertöszentmiklós. To better access the Neusiedler See National Park, a funding program has introduced seasonal direct connections from Sopron to Neusiedl am See starting in 2024.
Bahnhofplatz 1
2734 Puchberg am Schneeberg
Austria
The company was founded in 1997 as a joint venture between the then ÖBB and the Niederösterreichische Verkehrsorganisationsges. m. b. H. (NÖVOG, see below), each with a 50 percent share in the business. From this point on, it operated as a licensed railway company. The infrastructure initially remained with the infrastructure division of the ÖBB, but in 2010 NÖVOG acquired the infrastructure. At the same time, the ÖBB infrastructure's share in the Niederösterreichische Schneebergbahn GmbH was also taken over in full, so that the company is now a 100 percent subsidiary of NÖVOG.
Werkstättenstraße 13
3100 St. Pölten
Austria
The company is responsible for public transport in the state of Lower Austria and is the only one in Austria to operate rail services on three different track gauges. Since 2010, NÖVOG has held the concession to operate the lines St. Pölten–Mariazell, Waidhofen/Ybbs–Gstadt, Gmünd–Groß Gerungs, Gmünd–Litschau, and Puchberg–Hochschneeberg. These are all narrow-gauge railways, with only the first two offering year-round service (regular operations).
The standard-gauge sections of the company were discontinued as public railways before being transferred from ÖBB-Infrastruktur, and some are now operated as branch lines for excursion traffic. Since 2019, NÖVOG has also had a safety certification and an infrastructure usage agreement for the ÖBB network, allowing it to operate excursion trains to Drosendorf in Weinviertel and Wachau regions. Since 2024, all the aforementioned railway lines have been operated by Niederösterreich Bahnen GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of NÖVOG. In 2024, Mariazell station was made wheelchair-accessible and renovated.
Praterstern 3
1020 Wien
Austria
ÖBB-Infrastruktur is part of the ÖBB holding and operates almost 90 percent of the majority of the Austrian railway network as well as the entire network in Liechtenstein. It was created in 2009 through the merger of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG with ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG.
The company is also responsible for the traction power supply and operates its own power plants. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of route changes had to be managed at short notice in 2021, just as in 2020. However, construction work continued during the traffic restrictions and maintenance work could be brought forward.
Am Hauptbahnhof 2
1100 Wien
Austria
ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG is a wholly owned subsidiary of ÖBB-Holding and carries out the majority of passenger transport on the Austrian rail network. Foreign transport is generally handled with cooperation partners. Since the 2017 timetable, the largest European night train service has been operated, which is regularly expanded.
The company also has a 49.9 percent stake in CAT and holds 50 percent of the shares in ÖBB production and 49 percent of the shares in ÖBB technical services.
In order to be able to maintain long-distance public passenger transport on the Westbahn route on the Vienna-Salzburg section during the peak phases of the COVID-19 restrictions, emergency contracts were initiated or extended by the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) from April 2020 to summer 2021.
They affected the long-distance services of ÖBB-Personenverkehr and those of WESTbahn, which were each commissioned on a public-service basis for several months.
Am Hauptbahnhof 2
1100 Wien
Austria
ÖBB production provides all traction services for Rail Cargo Austria and ÖBB Personenverkehr. For the former, numerous new Vectron locomotives were purchased in 2020, which are mainly used internationally in Czechia, Germany, Italy and Slovakia. Additional Vectrons were also ordered in 2021. Another service in addition to operating filling stations is the provision of mobile and stationary wagon maintenance services for all railway companies. Personnel and locomotives are also made available to ÖBB Technical Services for emergency train operations.
Grillgasse 48
1110 Wien
Austria
The company is involved in the maintenance and servicing of the entire ÖBB Group fleet at 22 locations in Austria. It also provides services for third-party customers. It has its own license as a railway transport company, which is mainly used to carry out test runs after repairs. In addition, ÖBB-Technische Services operates auxiliary trains.
In 2020, work began on building a two-track maintenance hall for the new night train sets at the Vienna-Simmering plant. Together with LTE and ELL, a workshop was built in Gramatneusiedl in 2021 (see LTE). ÖBB-Technische Services now operates as ÖBB Train Tech with a new logo, but the legal form of the company has remained unchanged.
ul. Grójecka 17
02-021 Warszawa
Poland
The Polish freight railway company PKP Cargo was founded in 2001 as an independent company within the PKP holding. The company operates combined transports from Poland via Austria to Italy at least twice a week.
Brown-Boveri-Straße 6/2.OG/Top B11
2355 Wiener Neudorf
Austria
The company, founded in Austria in 2015, operates from Wiener Neudorf and is 90 percent owned by the Hungarian rail freight forwarder Petrolsped, which is held exclusively by private individuals. It is a sister company of MMV Magyar Magánvasút, which operated in Austria with its own safety certificate until 2017.
In 2017, MMV-Rail Austria received the safety certificate in Austria and took over all activities in the Austrian network. The company mainly operates block trains on the Danube axis, such as grain transports from Krems an der Donau.
Since July 2022, the company has been renamed into PSP Cargo Group Austria GmbH.
Absberggasse 47
1100 Wien
Austria
The company was founded in 1994 as MMU Gleisbauvermietung and operated for many years under the name Porr-Alpine Austriarail. Even then, Porr, which is active in the construction business, was involved in the company. After the Alpine Group went bankrupt, Porr took over its shares in 2014 and is now the sole owner. Since then, the company has been called Porr Austriarail. It is active in railway construction, primarily operates construction trains and has a corresponding machine park. In 2015, the company received a traffic license for freight transport in Austria, and since 2017 it has also had a safety certificate.
Bahnhofplatz 5
7041 Wulkaprodersdorf
Austria
As a stock corporation, Raaberbahn is based in Hungary, but has a branch in Austria and is also registered in the Austrian commercial register. It has a concession as an infrastructure operator and a transport permit in Austria - in this respect it is also considered an Austrian company.
The majority owner (with around 66 percent) is the Hungarian state. In Austria, the company operates passenger transport on its own infrastructure (Sopron-Ebenfurth) and on the Neusiedler Seebahn route (Pamhagen-Neusiedl am See). A separate railway transport company, Raaberbahn Cargo (see below), was founded for freight transport. Since the end of 2020, a daily hourly service between Vienna and Deutschkreuz (via Wulkaprodersdorf) has been offered independently as part of a directly awarded transport service contract.
Bahnhofplatz 5
7041 Wulkaprodersdorf
Austria
The company was founded in 2009 as a subsidiary of the Hungarian GySEV Cargo and operates freight transport on the ÖBB network as a railway transport company. The company has been operational since 2011 and, in addition to freight trains between Sopron and Vienna, operates combined transport block trains on the Danube axis towards Passau and Lambach. Since 2012, the Sopron-Deutschkreutz freight service has also been operated by Raaberbahn Cargo.
Am Hauptbahnhof 2
1100 Wien
Austria
Within the ÖBB Group, Rail Cargo Austria is responsible for freight transport with various locations in Austria. In addition to transport on the group's own infrastructure network, trains are operated on the networks of private railways, on the one hand with its own fleet and on the other hand in cooperation. The company also provides last-mile services for numerous other railway companies, for example.
Rail Cargo Austria has specialized subsidiaries and, through international investments, has a dense network of various foreign subsidiaries (in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Hungary). This means that trains can also be produced or operated under its own responsibility in these countries. The company also holds 50 percent of ÖBB production and 51 percent of ÖBB technical services.
In 2021, RCA also carried out last-mile services for other railway companies, delivering freight wagons to connecting lines. The rolling road (RoLa, with connections Wörgl–Brenner, Wörgl–Trento and Wels–Maribor) operated by the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group reported an annual record for trucks transported on the Brenner route in 2021
Zum Güterbahnhof 7
99085 Erfurt
Germany
The German freight transport company from Erfurt, which originally operated as a personnel service provider in the railway sector, mainly transports chemical products and wood. The infrastructure usage contract, which has been in force since 2020, is used on Austrian territory for transports between Passau and Koper.
Kukučínova 22
831 03 Bratislava
Slovakia
The Slovak freight railway was founded in 2011 and specializes in the transport of biofuel, chemicals and raw materials for the chemical industry in Slovakia, Czechia and Poland. In 2018, the company received the safety certificate for the ÖBB network, and in 2021 there were regular services in Austria, especially along the Danube axis.
Wallerseestraße 96
5201 Seekirchen
Austria
The company Rail & Sea Traction GmbH from Salzburg has had a transport license since the beginning of January. Among other things, it offers services in the field of rail logistics and the operation of connecting railways.
Columbusgasse 1-3
1100 Wien
Austria
The 100% subsidiary of the Czech railway company Regiojet Pool a.s. has had a usage agreement with ÖBB-Infrastruktur since March 15, 2022. The takeover of operational management (previously provided by WESTbahn) took place on April 1, 2022. RegioJet's passenger services between Prague and Budapest via Vienna Central Station are now managed independently on the Austrian section of the route (Břeclav - Hegyeshalom).
Hammer Landstraße 3
41460 Neuss
Germany
The company from North Rhine-Westphalia received a uniform safety certificate for Germany, the Netherlands and Austria from ERA at the end of October 2021. The company has been using the ÖBB Infrastruktur AG network since August 2022
Mariahilfstraße 29
6900 Bregenz
Austria
Rhomberg Bahntechnik, based in Vorarlberg, is part of Rhomberg Sersa Rail Holding GmbH and began operations in 2011. It is active in railway construction (particularly in construction site logistics).
Oberndorfer Straße 35
5020 Salzburg
Austria
The company was founded in 2015 and is a sister company of the German Rurtalbahn Cargo GmbH. There are other sister companies in Belgium and the Netherlands. Since receiving the safety certificate in 2018, the company has been operating independently in freight transport. The focus is on transport in cooperation with the above-mentioned German sister company (and thus on cross-border transport to Germany), for example new cars and grain are transported along the Danube axis.
Puchstraße 184b
8055 Graz
Austria
RTS is part of the Swietelsky construction group and operates in the field of freight transport services within Austria and its neighboring countries. Additionally, it has a subsidiary in Germany called RTS Germany. In Hungary, RTS collaborates with its sister company MÁV Épcell.
RTS holds safety certifications in Czechia, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Slovakia. While the primary focus lies on construction site logistics, RTS has been occasionally operating container trains from Germany to Austria (Wolfurt) since 2020.
Großenhainer Straße 83
01127 Dresden
Germany
The Saxon freight transport company based in Dresden, which specializes in cross-border traffic with Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Austria, is part of the Bahngroup24 group of companies.
The independent railway transport company has had an infrastructure usage contract since 2018 and a safety certificate from ERA for Germany and Austria since November 2021, which was extended until 2028. The company mainly operates block trains on the Danube, Pyhrn and Tauern axes for various cooperation partners.
In February 2022, the RuG Rail GmbH division (headquartered in Salzburg) will be renamed the control center and traffic planning company CargoXpert24 GmbH (headquartered in St. Pölten).
With the timetable change in 2023/2024, additional transit trains, ad hoc and import-export traffic were introduced on the main routes
Welser Straße 43
4623 Gunskirchen
Austria
The privately owned company with headquarters in Wels received the safety certificate for freight transport on the ÖBB network at the end of 2011. The company has so far worked primarily in the area of construction site safety on track construction sites, and it also provides train drivers for work trains. The company's own traffic of block trains (aluminum) between Wels and Ranshofen, which has existed since 2019, continued to operate.
Bayerhamerstraße 16
5020 Salzburg
Austria
The 100% subsidiary of Salzburg AG was founded in November 2023 specifically for its transport sector. In addition to the municipal trolleybus, it operates freight and passenger transport between Salzburg and Lamprechtshausen and Ostermiething with the Salzburger Lokalbahn on its own infrastructure. The company also previously had a license for the ÖBB network. However, the exit from freight transport was already completed there in 2020. Since 2008, the non-networked narrow-gauge railway from Zell am See to Krimml has also been operated under the name Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, which has been repeatedly interrupted or severely damaged by severe storms in recent years.
Markt 35
5360 St. Wolfgang
Austria
The Schafbergbahn-Railway is owned by Salzburg AG. In 2006, the company took over the narrow-gauge (1,000 mm) cog railway from St. Wolfgang to the top of Schafberg from the former ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau. In 2020, Schafbergbahn expanded its fleet with two diesel-electric locomotives. The track is used exclusively for tourism. In 2021, the old St. Wolfgang trainstation was demolished and a new building was opened in 2023.
Rainerstraße 22/2
4020 Linz
Austria
The state-owned Schiene OÖ GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of OÖ Verkehrsholding GmbH and is responsible for various infrastructure expansions of local and regional public transport in Upper Austria. At the beginning of 2024, the company took over the infrastructure of the Haiding - Aschach/Donau route from ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG as owner, although the latter will continue to operate it for the time being.
Siemensstraße 90
1210 Wien
Austria
Siemens Mobility Austria received both a safety certificate and an infrastructure usage contract in 2020. The main purpose of its activity as a railway transport company is to carry out test runs with the railway vehicles (trams and subways) manufactured by Siemens in Vienna-Simmering. In 2021, transfer trips were also carried out with these vehicles.
Prof.-Messerschmitt-Straße 1
85579 Neubiberg
Germany
Innsbrucker Bundesstrasse 126a
5020 Salzburg
Austria
The private company, which specializes in timber transport, is a subsidiary of the German S-Rail GmbH, which in turn is a sister company of Salzburger Eisenbahn TransportLogistik GmbH. It has been operational since December 2019, mainly transporting timber products along the Tauern axis.
At the end of 2020, S-Rail took over the operational management of the Stieglbahn (a connecting railway in the city of Salzburg) from the Salzburger Lokalbahn, and in 2021, transport in Austria in general was significantly expanded.
Eggenberger Straße 20
8020 Graz
Austria
Steiermarkbahn und Bus is 100 percent owned by the state of Styria and has been responsible for handling passenger transport under public transport service contracts in the rail and bus sector since the restructuring of the former integrated railway company Steiermärkische Landesbahnen in summer 2018.
It operates transport to Bad Gleichenberg, Weiz and Übelbach in the greater Graz area. At the end of 2020, passenger transport between Feldbach and Bad Gleichenberg was reduced to weekend and holiday traffic and has been discontinued since October 2021, with the exception of Advent traffic over the winter.
Eggenberger Straße 20
8020 Graz
Austria
Steiermarkbahn Transport und Logistik is a wholly owned subsidiary of Steiermarkbahn und Bus. The company's business focus is on handling freight and logistics services, particularly block train transport from Styrian industrial sites. The company also operates (spot) transport (e.g. chalk sludge transport) on the Danube axis and the Tauernbahn with cooperation partners from Germany, Slovenia and Hungary.
Austria
The Styrian State Railways are 100 percent owned by the state of Styria. Its own route network includes the Feldbach–Bad Gleichenberg, Gleisdorf-Weiz and Peggau–Übelbach railway lines as well as the non-networked Unzmarkt–Mauterndorf narrow-gauge railway.
In 2018, the route network was expanded to include the Weiz Bahnhof–Weiz Nord urban route. The company also operates the non-networked Mixnitz–St. Erhard narrow-gauge railway (see above) and the Cargo Center Graz. Transport in the ÖBB network is handled by the two subsidiaries Steiermarkbahn and Bus and Steiermarkbahn Transport and Logistics.
Kuferzeile 32
4810 Gmunden
Austria
Stern & Hafferl is a private Austrian railway-company based in Gmunden, specializing in regional public transport in Upper Austria. The company operates the interconnected routes Linz–Eferding–Peuerbach/Neumarkt-Kallham and Lambach–Vorchdorf, as well as the non-interconnected narrow-gauge railways Gmunden–Vorchdorf, Vöcklamarkt–Attersee, and the Gmunden regio-tram.
In addition, Stern & Hafferl GmbH is also active within the ÖBB network. The railway company primarily operates freight trains in the districts of Wels-Land and Eferding, as well as on the Attnang-Puchheim–Bad Aussee line, on behalf of Rail Cargo Austria. Since 2023, the company has been using hybrid locomotives, which enable freight transport on non-electrified regional railways, such as those to Aschach an der Steyr or Laakirchen.
Donaucitystraße 1
1220 Wien
Austria
Kolodvorska 11
1000 Ljubljana
Slovenia
The Slovenian freight railway SŽ Tovorni promet was founded in 2012 as part of the Slovenian railway holding company SŽ. After obtaining the safety certificate in Austria, the company started operating transit trains from Slovenia in 2015, and block trains have now also been added on the Tauern Railway.
Since the timetable change in December 2021, single wagon traffic has also been carried out in transit between Slovenia and Germany.
Zagrebška cesta 25
2000 Maribor
Slovenia
The Slovenian rail transport company Ten Rail, headquartered in Maribor, holds an infrastructure usage agreement for Austria since the timetable change in December 2022. Their primary goal is to handle international combined transport services between the container terminal in Enns and the Adriatic ports of Koper and Trieste. SETG (see S-Rail) holds a 50% share in the company. Joint train operations with SETG have already been successfully conducted in the past.
Südliche Münchner Straße 55
82031 Grünwald
Germany
TX Logistik AG
Junkersring 33
53844 Troisdorf
Germany
The company is the Austrian subsidiary of the German railway company TX Logistik, which in turn belongs to the freight division of the Italian incumbent Mercitalia Rail.
In Austria, mainly transit freight trains are run via the Brenner axis and the Tauern railway to Italy, as well as container trains from Germany to the Vienna-Freudenau terminal. Garbage trains also run from Italy to Moosbierbaum
Tanbruckgasse 3/4
1120 Wien
Austria
The Walser Eisenbahn, based in Vienna, operates freight trains in the areas of combined transport and mineral oil, and the company has also offered charter passenger transport in the past. In 2019, it was bought by the freight forwarder Wenzel Combi Cargo Transportlogistik, which added new freight trains via the Pyhrn axis.
Europaplatz 3/Stiege 5
1150 Wien
Austria
In 2008, WESTbahn was founded as the first subsidiary of RAIL Holding AG and is majority-owned by private investors, with the French incumbent SNCF also holding a stake in the company. In 2011, regular services began on the Vienna–Salzburg–Freilassing route. In 2013, the Salzburg–Freilassing section was discontinued, and the timetable between Vienna and Salzburg was subsequently increased.
The company also managed the operations of the Czech company RegioJet on the Austrian section of the Prague–Vienna route, with two train pairs extended towards Budapest.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the previously self-financed trains on the Vienna–Salzburg route were temporarily ordered by the public sector under public service contracts from spring 2020 until summer 2021, with service-interruptions lasting several months. Since 2022, WESTbahn has added Munich and Innsbruck as destinations and, since 2024, also Bregenz. With the launch of the sister company FRACHTbahn (see above), freight services were transferred since mid-2021.
Emmetterstrasse 3
6375 Beckenried
Switzerland
The Swiss railway company is a former sister company of the Walser Railway and in the past already had a safety certificate for the ÖBB infrastructure network in Liechtenstein. Since the timetable change in December 2020, there has been an infrastructure usage contract for the Austrian network section, and in 2021 a few trains were also operated using it. The company's focus is on transit transport.
Freudenauer Hafenstraße 8-10
1020 Wien
Austria
In 2007, Wiener Lokalbahnen Cargo was founded to take over the freight train business of the parent company Wiener Lokalbahnen - both in its own network and in the ÖBB network.
The company is mainly active in container and block train traffic on the Danube axis between the North Sea and Romania. In Austria, the Enns and Vienna-Freudenau terminals are mainly served. Since the end of 2020, the company has also been operating in the Czech Republic with its own license, from where its own train connections to neighboring countries (East Germany and Poland) are to be expanded. This is one of the reasons why the fleet was renewed in 2021. In October 2021, WLB and WLC jointly opened a training center ("Traincademy") at the Port of Vienna, where key professions in the railway industry can be trained.
Purkytgasse 1B
1230 Wien
Austria
Wiener Lokalbahnen is a company of Wiener Stadtwerke GmbH. In 2018, the company, previously organized as a joint-stock corporation, was converted into a limited liability company. In rail transport, it primarily operates passenger services on its own line. This line is connected to the Wiener Linien network at Wien-Meidling, allowing continuous passenger service from Baden Josefsplatz to Vienna Opera.
The company also provides passenger services on the ÖBB network—primarily excursion and nostalgic journeys, as well as scheduled charter trains in Upper Austria, Salzburg, and Tyrol, in cooperation with foreign railway companies (e.g., Alpen-Sylt Night Express). Additionally, new vehicles, such as subway and S-Bahn trains, are transferred from the manufacturer's plant in Vienna Simmering to destinations abroad for commissioning.
At the end of 2021, the company began renewing its fleet to support a 7.5-minute service interval to Wiener Neudorf. In fall 2024, a new depot in Baden was put into operation.
Austraße 1
6200 Jenbach
Austria
The company is majority owned by the neighboring communities of the Zillertal. It owns and operates the narrow-gauge Zillertal Railway with passenger services from Jenbach to Mayrhofen.
Freight traffic, which came to a standstill in 2014, was resumed in May 2021, and as a result, wood freight trains ran between Jenbach and Fügen-Hart for the first time in years.