Stadler is showing the ÖBB double-deck Railjet at InnoTrans in Berlin, a 486-seat train due from late 2026 on Vienna–Salzburg services already run by interim double-deckers of equal capacity.

Red ÖBB double-deck Railjet standing beside a station platform
The new ÖBB double-deck Railjet stands beside a platform in Vienna. Photo: Marek Knopp / ÖBB.

What the double-deck train offers

The six-car train is about 160 metres long and has a top speed of 200 km/h. Stadler builds it at its St. Margrethen plant in Switzerland and is presenting it with ÖBB as one of seven vehicles on its stand at the fair, which runs from 22 to 25 September. The line-up also includes the FLIRT Akku battery train for ÖBB.

The 486 seats are split between first and second class. ÖBB’s equipment list includes low-floor entrances for step-free boarding, two wheelchair spaces with height-adjustable side tables in the middle car, ten bicycle spaces and eight toilets, one of them accessible. Passengers also get digital seat-reservation displays, luggage racks secured by NFC, vending machines in catering zones, Wi-Fi, sockets with USB ports and video surveillance. Stadler lists family zones and quiet areas as part of the layout.

Where the 20% seat gain comes from

Stadler puts the gain in seating at around 20% compared with previous services on these routes. The benchmark is ÖBB’s single-deck Railjet. When ÖBB ordered the trains in 2023, it expected them to carry almost 19% more passengers than its existing Railjet fleet, based on a planned capacity of around 480 seats.

On the Vienna–Salzburg line, that increase has already arrived. Since 6 October 2025, ÖBB has run its Railjet services with more frequent stops using double-deck trains bought from Deutsche Bahn, lifting seat capacity on the route by around 20%. These Stadler KISS trains, now listed as IC services, also have 486 seats, 66 in first class and 420 in second, along with eight bicycle spaces and two wheelchair spaces. Faster RJX trains still use the existing Railjet fleet.

ÖBB said the interim trains would stay on these services until the new double-deck Railjets arrive, gradually, from the end of 2026. For passengers, the seat count per train will therefore stay at 486, while bicycle spaces rise from eight to ten.

Order and next steps

ÖBB ordered 14 of the six-car trains in July 2023 as a call-off from its framework agreement with Stadler, together with 21 four-car double-deck trains for regional services. The combined call-off was worth about €600 million.

ÖBB first presented the train in Vienna on 25 June 2025. The fleet will be introduced in stages on the Western line from the end of 2026, and ÖBB plans to deploy the trains on the Southern line once the Semmering Base Tunnel is completed.

Double-deck Railjet: key dates, 2023–2026 and beyond
Date Step Status
July 2023 ÖBB orders 14 six-car trains under its framework agreement with Stadler Completed
25 June 2025 ÖBB first presents the train in Vienna Completed
6 October 2025 Interim double-deckers from Deutsche Bahn take over Railjet services with more frequent stops between Vienna and Salzburg Completed
22–25 September 2026 The train is on show at InnoTrans in Berlin Under way
From the end of 2026 Fleet enters service in stages on the Western line Planned
After the Semmering Base Tunnel is completed Trains also used on the Southern line Planned

The trains reach passengers more than three years after the order, with the Southern line as a later step. Sources: ÖBB, 6 July 2023, ÖBB, 25 June 2025, ÖBB, 30 September 2025, Stadler, 19 August 2026.