Siemens Mobility has secured an order for the first 70 trains from a framework agreement it secured with Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) last summer.

The trains are a development of the proven Mireo electric multiple-units and will be delivered in three different versions from late 2027 onwards.

They are designed with a maximum speed of 160 km/h and have air conditioning, Wi-Fi, step-free access, electrical sockets, racks for skis and snowboards, provision for buggies and wheelchairs near the doors, and space for bicycles.

The trains are wider than previous Mireos versions, and for the first time, they are designing the new trains with inner bearing bogies to provide a single-car concept.

Of the 70 trains on order, 11 will be 73-metre-long for local services, 28 will be 106-metre-long for use in various federal regions, and 31 trainsets with a length of 106 metres are for long-distance transport within the Alps.

All trains will be fitted with the European Train Control System [ETCS], which allows significantly shorter intervals between trains.

The trains will be of lightweight aluminium construction to provide low energy consumption, and the inner bearing bogies will also feature new lightweight construction technology. The air conditioning systems use a natural refrigerant and a heat pump for better sustainability.

Developed at the Siemens Mobility competence centre for train bogies in Graz, the new Mireos will use SF7500 bogies in contrast to previous Mireos where two cars shared a single “Jacobs bogie”. The new Mireo cars have two bogies, with several throughout the train being powered by high-performance traction motors to ensure acceleration is optimally balanced between traction and energy efficiency.

To save weight and space, the bogies have been designed with inner bearings. The space gained has been used to relocate other components underneath the car body, which improves the train’s handling and provides passengers with more room.

The trains will be built within Siemens’ global network of train manufacturing facilities and the bogies will be manufactured at the Siemens Mobility competence centre in Graz.

Michael Peter, CEO Siemens Mobility: “Siemens Mobility and ÖBB have long enjoyed a strong and trusting partnership. We are especially proud to deliver a further development of the Mireo platform to ÖBB as a single-car concept for the company’s new fleet. With their numerous innovations, cross-border operating capability, and high level of passenger comfort and convenience, the new Mireo trains will help make ÖBB’s local and regional transport even more attractive.”

ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä added “With the additional 70 multiple-unit trains, we are consistently continuing our investment programme in a modern fleet. The new trains have a speed of 160 km/h and offer increased passenger comfort, barrier-free boarding, the option of transporting bicycles and Wi-Fi. In addition, a special focus was placed on efficient energy consumption.”