Some time ago, the private railway company Westbahn announced the extension of the existing Munich route to Stuttgart Central Station. The company has now started selling tickets. Two daily train pairs will be offered from December 15, 2024.
For a long time, the Stadler double-decker trains of the Westbahn ran between Vienna Westbahnhof and Salzburg Hauptbahnhof. The private provider has been on an expansion course for some time. First, the "main route" was extended to Munich Central Station, then they took Innsbruck main station in the route network and finally you have also connected to Bregenz main stationThere are a few stops along the way to the final destination for getting on and off.
It has been known for some time that Westbahn wants to expand within Germany. The company announced early on that it would start operating services to Stuttgart Central Station. This also has a very bureaucratic background, because the necessary routes must be applied for and approved by the network operator, in this case DB Netz AG. It is not uncommon for infrastructure owners who are subsidiaries of state railways to try to obstruct the plan, so that the relevant supervisory authority has to issue a notice.
Péage contracts were “invented” in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy
In principle, every railway company that has a valid concession as a railway transport company has the right to unrestricted access to the infrastructure of other operators, usually formally outsourced subsidiaries of the state railways. There are clear rules for this and it is definitely not free, because the user has to pay a kind of toll to the owner. There are also station fees and charges for other services. If you do not drive with your own diesel but need electricity, it varies from country to country. In Germany you can freely choose your electricity provider, in Austria only the Austrian Federal Railways currently offer this supply, so there is a kind of monopoly. So far no Austrian energy supplier has shown any serious interest in offering traction power, possibly because the customer base might be too small.
In Austria, so-called Péage contracts, i.e. the use of "foreign" railway infrastructure for a fee, have a long tradition. This was already common practice during the heyday of private railway and infrastructure operators. The first of its kind was concluded in 1841. More information on the history from the first Péage agreements to extensive nationalization and back to free competition, in this article at Aviation.Direct.
Two course pairs from December 15, 2024
Westbahn's Stuttgart trains will start running on December 15, 2024. Initially, the company will offer two daily train pairs. In the morning, WB962 leaves Vienna Westbahnhof at around 8:08 a.m. and arrives at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof at 14:37 p.m. The second connection, WB966, leaves Vienna West at 16:08 p.m. and arrives in the state capital of Baden-Württemberg at 22:39 p.m. There are intermediate stops in Augsburg, Günzburg and Ulm, among others.
The WB962 departs from Stuttgart Central Station at 7:12 a.m. and arrives at the Westbahnhof in the Austrian capital at around 13:52 p.m. The second daily train departs from the BW state capital at 15:12 p.m. and arrives at Vienna Westbahnhof at 21:52 p.m. The climate ticket is valid in both directions on the Austrian section of the route and offers travelers the opportunity to use Comfort Class, which is between Economy and First Class, at no extra charge.
An additional ticket is required for the German part of the route, although there are special offers for holders of climate and/or Germany cards. The so-called 49-euro ticket is not valid on the Westbahn, as, unlike the Austrian climate ticket, long-distance travel is explicitly excluded.
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