Private operator Westbahn announced on 17 November that its winter timetable, effective 14 December 2025, will boost frequency on Austria’s busy Weststrecke to a train every 30 minutes between Vienna Westbahnhof and Salzburg/Linz. Daily departures will rise from 60 to 66, with the first train leaving Vienna at 05:38 and the last at 21:08.
A headline innovation is a thrice-daily direct service from Vienna to Saalfelden, giving the Pinzgau region its first non-stop connection to the capital. Trains will call at Schwarzach-St. Veit, Zell am See and Maishofen-Saalbach, covering Vienna–Zell in 4 h 17 m and Vienna–Saalfelden in 4 h 28 m. The move underscores Westbahn’s strategy of challenging state-owned ÖBB on both price and network reach.
![Westbahn Unveils Half-Hourly Services and New Vienna–Saalfelden Direct Trains]()
The company also confirmed that a separate expansion to Austria’s South Line will begin in March 2026, with five daily Wien–Graz–Klagenfurt–Villach high-speed rotations. Four new double-deck CRRC trainsets, arriving this winter, will lift fleet capacity by 28 % and support the denser timetable.
For corporate mobility programmes the half-hourly pattern offers greater flexibility for day trips between Vienna and Upper Austria, potentially reducing overnight stays. Travel buyers should, however, monitor seat-availability during the ramp-up phase, as Westbahn is still training crews on the newest rolling stock.
Practical tip: Update online booking tools with the new train numbers before 14 December, and remind travellers that Westbahn tickets are not currently valid on ÖBB services in the event of missed connections.
A headline innovation is a thrice-daily direct service from Vienna to Saalfelden, giving the Pinzgau region its first non-stop connection to the capital. Trains will call at Schwarzach-St. Veit, Zell am See and Maishofen-Saalbach, covering Vienna–Zell in 4 h 17 m and Vienna–Saalfelden in 4 h 28 m. The move underscores Westbahn’s strategy of challenging state-owned ÖBB on both price and network reach.
The company also confirmed that a separate expansion to Austria’s South Line will begin in March 2026, with five daily Wien–Graz–Klagenfurt–Villach high-speed rotations. Four new double-deck CRRC trainsets, arriving this winter, will lift fleet capacity by 28 % and support the denser timetable.
For corporate mobility programmes the half-hourly pattern offers greater flexibility for day trips between Vienna and Upper Austria, potentially reducing overnight stays. Travel buyers should, however, monitor seat-availability during the ramp-up phase, as Westbahn is still training crews on the newest rolling stock.
Practical tip: Update online booking tools with the new train numbers before 14 December, and remind travellers that Westbahn tickets are not currently valid on ÖBB services in the event of missed connections.
