Airport rail link in Vienna, Austria
The City Airport Train (CAT) is an express airport rail link train that connects Vienna International Airport and Vienna city center (Wien Mitte railway station) in 16 minutes without intermediate stops.
Operations.
A separate operating company, City Air Terminal Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H., was founded in February 2002 to operate the CAT. It is jointly owned by ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG (49.9% of the shares) and Flughafen Wien AG (50.1% of the shares). The company is based at Vienna Airport.The concept of the train type was presented to the public at the 2003 Danube Island Festival, and operations commenced on 14 December 2003.
The trains run between Vienna Airport station and Wien Mitte station every half hour from early morning until around midnight. (36 journeys per direction and day) The CAT takes 16 minutes to cover the approximately 20-kilometre route without intermediate stops.
Trains temporarily stopped running from 19 March 2020 to 28 March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With 20 million passengers in 20 years, the CAT can look back on an unprecedentedly successful development. (2023)
Departure stations
Both at the airport and in Vienna city centre, CAT trains depart from their own underground station areas. In Vienna, the departure point called City Air Terminal with the Check-in counters for various airlines is located at ground level in the entrance area of The Mall shopping centre, near the Marxergasse exit. At the airport station, the train stops at the eastern end of platform 3.
Services.
Passengers can check in their baggage at the City Air Terminal at the railway station Wien-Mitte and get their boarding passes. The City Air Terminal offers all the services of an international airport terminal with both staffed check-in desks and self-service check-in kiosks. This service is available from 24 hours until 75 minutes before departure. Airlines that offer check in include Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Croatia Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, Luxair, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal and Wizz Air.
The CAT offers particularly wide aisles, ample luggage space, free Wi-Fi, power outlets and TV screens on the train providing visitors with information about Vienna. A variety of newspapers and magazines as well as Epapers are available free of charge on the train and in the stations.
Tickets may already be booked on the Internet at www.cityairporttrain.com or at the CAT ticket machines at the City Air Terminal at Wien Mitte and the Vienna Airport.
The CAT BONUS CLUB is the membership scheme of the City Airport Train. Bonus Club members collect journeys that can be redeemed for rewards. Membership is free.
Tickets.
Tickets can be bought at the information desk or ticket machines at both terminus stations, on the train or online in advance. Single and return tickets as well as an annual ticket are available. A combined ticket can be purchased for onward travel in the entire Vienna city area (‘Vienna core zone’), which includes travel on the CAT and a Vienna single ticket or is optionally valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Tickets for the City Airport Train cost EUR 14.90 for a single journey and EUR 24.90 for a return ticket.
Thanks to the cooperation with ÖBB, VOR and Wiener Linien as well as the KlimaTicket, holders of a Wiener Linien annual ticket, a KlimaTicket or an ÖBB-Vorteilscard as well as the Top-Jugendticket and the Wiener Linien Semesterkarte can use the CAT at a discount of more than 50%. The discounted CAT tickets therefore cost € 7 (one-way) and € 12 (return). The train category is a premium product with a corresponding price structure. However, a discount is granted for holders of various customer cards. Children up to the age of 15 are transported free of charge.
Rolling stock.
As of 2025, each CAT trainset consist of three bilevel Siemens Viaggio Twin carriages hauled in push-pull configuration by a monosystem ÖBB Class 1016 locomotive. All carriages are air-conditioned, with free Wi-Fi, power sockets at solo seats, storage space for luggage and an infotainment system on board. Previously, multisystem ÖBB Class 1014 and ÖBB Class 1116 locomotives were used.
From 2027, three new Stadler KISS bilevel EMUs will replace the existing rolling stock.
Competition.
The ÖBB Railjet trains also run every half hour and are slightly faster as well as cheaper. They run non-stop from Vienna Airport to Vienna's main railway station Wien Hauptbahnhof. ÖBB also operates suburban trains under the "Schnellbahn" brand to the airport as S7, calling at multiple stations downtown, including Wien Mitte. The ticket from/to Vienna city center by suburban or long-distance trains costs €4,30 one-way (compared to €11 for the City Airport Train, as of May 2022) or €8,60 return (€19 for the CAT). The journey on the S7 takes 23 minutes between the airport and Wien Mitte station.
The City Airport Train offered shorter travel times (16 minutes vs. 23 minutes on the S7), with similar service frequency (30-min intervals) as the suburban trains, thus having a competitive advantage. Since December 2014, long-distance trains (initially ICE, then Railjet services) also reach the airport, offering a competitive schedule to Wien Hauptbahnhof, with significantly cheaper tickets. ÖBB has further extended the suburban train services in 2017, introducing more limited stop "Regionalzug" services between Wien Mitte (and other downtown stations) and the airport, continuing to Wolfsthal. In the current timetable (2018), an average of 6 suburban and long-distance services connect downtown Vienna and the airport every hour, while the frequency of CAT departures remain constant (2 trains per hour).
Environment.
The CAT is powered by zero-emission traction current from 100% renewable energy (92% hydro, 8% wind power).
References.
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