The European Railway Picture Gallery

Picture of the Month - July 2003

Photo by Christian Beckers (h.beckers@kabsi.at)
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ÖBB (Austria) class 4023 - The electric Talent

The Austrian Railways (ÖBB - Österreichische Bundesbahnen) are currently receiving the first electric multiple units derived from Bombardier Transportation's popular Talent family, built at the Bombardier plant in Aachen, Germany (the former Talbot company).

ÖBB's electric Talents have been ordered in versions consisting of three cars (class 4023) or four cars (class 4024). Class 4023 is intended for the future Schnellbahn (rapid commuter railway) system around Salzburg, while the 4024s at least originally were intended to replace older units in the well-established Schnellbahn system of Vienna (Wien) - however, doubts have surfaced whether they are really suitable for this purpose, and it seems conceivable that they will eventually also be used elsewhere in Austria.

In the picture you see 4023 005, the first unit delivered to the ÖBB, on 28 June 2003 at Passau on the German-Austrian border, waiting for its transfer to Vienna.

Text by Sven Manias