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[DE/AT/IT] New Railjets start service on the Brenner route from April 2024

Austriantrain

Austriantrain

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The new „Railjet2“ sets are now confirmed to start service on the Munich - Brenner - Italy route from April 8, 2024. From the 10th onwards, three diagrams should switch over to the new sets and can already be found on https://www.oebb.at/en/fahrplan.

As those new sets are bound to have some trouble „bedding in“, substitutions in the first weeks are to be expected though.

For some reason, I am not able to „mock reserve“ a seat on one of those services at the moment, but yesterday it worked and I could see the (quite interesting) seat map, so if you are curious, you can try whether it works.
 
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doc7austin

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When reading the ÖBB timetable correctly:
The first Railjet 2 operation, which is open to the general public, will happen on April 8, 2024.

RJ 286
10:40 Innsbruck Hbf -> 12:27 Munich Hbf

There also will be a VIP-only inaugural ride on the Railjet 2 before April 8.
 
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Austriantrain

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FlyingPotato said:
Does anyone have pictures of the interior (not concept art though)
Click to expand...

I don't, yet. The driving trailer is said to have an identical layout to the NJ driving trailer and the low-floor second class-coaches have 6-seat-compartments at one extremity in the high-floor part. Unfortunately, table seating in the restaurant compartment is very reduced; there is a bar with bar stools on one side of the coach, tables on the other.
 
YorkRailFan

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doc7austin said:
When reading the ÖBB timetable correctly:
The first Railjet 2 operation, which is open to the general public, will happen on April 8, 2024.

RJ 286
10:40 Innsbruck Hbf -> 12:27 Munich Hbf

There also will be a VIP-only inaugural ride on the Railjet 2 before April 8.
Click to expand...
Surprised they aren't coming to Vienna first.
 
Austriantrain

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YorkRailFan said:
Surprised they aren't coming to Vienna first.
Click to expand...

They were never meant to, specifically ordered for the Brenner route.
However, an additional 19 sets have now been ordered which will certainly run to Vienna.

Screenshots of seating maps, if anyone is interested and does not want to look up the ÖBB ticket shop.
 

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Austriantrain

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LNW-GW Joint said:
Isn't there a Bolzano-Vienna RJX, or is that separate from the Munich-Italy services?
Click to expand...

There is, but separately rostered (uses one of the RJ sets 52-60, which also service Vienna - Venice).

Apart from all the other differences, the new sets have 9 coaches and so are not suitable for Westbahn RJX trains, where almost every service runs as a double set at least part of its route.
 
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Austriantrain

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doc7austin said:
Again:
Click to expand...

I meant in regular service of course. A VIP-only inaugural ride is only of interest to VIPs (and some photographers probably, but those sets have been running around on tests for months, including in the Vienna region).
 
Austriantrain

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ABB125 said:
Why have they gone for a low floor in the standard class coaches?
Click to expand...

That does not convince me either, but it is true that accessability is becoming more and more important not only for people with very strongly reduced mobility, but also for families with prams, elderly people etc. Since it is now so common on local and regional stock, passengers increasingly expect it for LD journeys as well. I do think though that one standard and one First coach would have been enough.
 
HamworthyGoods

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ABB125 said:
Why have they gone for a low floor in the standard class coaches?
Click to expand...

Surely it’s self explanatory for accessibility?

Austriantrain said:
Unfortunately, table seating in the restaurant compartment is very reduced; there is a bar with bar stools on one side of the coach, tables on the other.
Click to expand...

Which however is a huge increase in the post Covid catering provision on the Brenner route.
 
Austriantrain

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HamworthyGoods said:
Surely it’s self explanatory for accessibility?
Click to expand...

However, you now have 7 of 9 coaches with internal steps and only one door per side - an ICE L (Talgo) of Giruno layout seems much more efficient to me. And anyway, in German stations with their higher platforms, boarding won’t be level either (those non existing standards…).

I would have gone, as I said, for only one second and one First class low-floor coach.

HamworthyGoods said:
Which however is a huge increase in the post Covid catering provision on the Brenner route.
Click to expand...

True, but I am not convinced by a layout that doesn’t seem to allow for a single full-size „seating 4“ table. Since it doesn’t seem possible to reach the restaurant from the PRM coach with a wheelchair anyway, a classic layout would have been more useful (unless they want PRM passengers to change coach at intermediate stations in order to eat…).

The current lack of restaurant car, by the way, is not a Covid-consequence. The WR always struggled with the wildly fluctuating Italian power supply, and it only got worse as they aged, leading to very frequent problems. It was felt that being honest about only having a cart service was better than advertising a restaurant car where half of the time, hot food and even drinks could not be served.
 
Austriantrain

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FlyingPotato said:
It looks alright overall, the economy compartments look painful however
Click to expand...

Not a fan of compartments myself and I think that younger passengers especially will not like them, because they are not used to them. But some people will appreciate them.
 
HamworthyGoods

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Austriantrain said:
Not a fan of compartments myself and I think that younger passengers especially will not like them, because they are not used to them. But some people will appreciate them.
Click to expand...

These are designed for those travelling with families.
 
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Austriantrain said:
Not a fan of compartments myself and I think that younger passengers especially will not like them, because they are not used to them. But some people will appreciate them.
Click to expand...

Great for families, I'd think - and for everyone else, because the noise from their kids running around (or playing junk out loud on their iPads) is kept within the compartment.
 
Austriantrain

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HamworthyGoods said:
These are designed for those travelling with families.
Click to expand...

Doesn’t necessarily work that way though, because neither families nor groups will always consist of exactly 6 people, and some compartments might stay empty. So they will get used by other people - there is certainly a number of them (mostly elderly) who have missed compartments in the last years and will be happy to see them return.
 
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Bletchleyite

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Austriantrain said:
Doesn’t necessarily work that way though, because neither families nor groups will always consist of exactly 6 people, and some compartments might stay empty. So they will get used by other people - there is certainly a number of them (mostly elderly) who have missed compartments in the last years and will be happy to see them return.
Click to expand...

One thing I've observed in the UK is that the semi-private nature of the groups of 6 on UK 3+2 layout trains means they're very popular with families and small groups - I suspect compartments would be even more so.

With regard to sharing them, some sort of paid option to book the whole compartment would be of benefit. It's as close as you can get to a private car.
 
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nwales58

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According to vagonweb, as well as RJ87/88 (ex EC87/88) from 08/04, a second set is in use on RJ86/89 from 09/04. These are the workings that overnight at Bologna and Verona.

Both workings have loco at the front northbound so it looks as if the driving trailers are not yet authorised in Italy.
 
Austriantrain

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nwales58 said:
so it looks as if the driving trailers are not yet authorised in Italy.
Click to expand...

They are not, nor are they authorized anywhere else yet.

YorkRailFan said:
Surprised they aren't coming to Vienna first.
Click to expand...

They have been scheduled for regular service from Vienna after all: in a kind of soft opening, one set will run on additional services for Easter holiday traffic as follows:
  • Freitag, 22. März: IC 19782 von Wien Hbf nach Feldkirch (ab 13.35 / an 20.37)
  • Samstag, 23. März: IC 19780 von Wien Hbf nach Feldkirch (ab 08.45 / an 16.34)
  • Sonntag, 24. März: IC 19781 von Feldkirch nach Wien Hbf (ab 12.55 / an 20.15)
  • Donnerstag, 28. März: IC 19782 von Wien Hbf nach Feldkirch (ab 13.35 / an 20.37)
  • Freitag, 29. März: IC 19784 von Wien Hbf nach Feldkirch (ab 13.35 / an 20.37)
  • Samstag, 30. März: IC 19780 von Wien Hbf nach Feldkirch (ab 08.45 / an 16.33)
  • Montag, 01. April: IC 19781 von Feldkirch nach Wien Hbf (ab 12.55 / an 20.15)
Currently on the first of those trains. I like them, but the gangways are narrow and that will most likely lead to longer dwells.
 
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