ÖBB-Technische Services, the maintenance subsidiary of the Austrian state railway ÖBB, and the infrastructure operator ÖBB Infrastruktur have invested over €30 million in the modernisation of the Knittelfeld site. The main areas of modernisation include the adaptation of the existing Hall 1, the construction of a new pre- and post-processing hall, and the construction and conversion of the outdoor facilities. The conversion is necessary to accommodate the new longer maintenance vehicles from manufacturer Plasser and Theurer, as well as the new rescue and fire-fighting multiple unit service jets from manufacturer Stadler. In future, the components of the new vehicles will be replaced using the pit stop principle, which means shorter downtimes in the workshops and greater availability of the vehicles on the line. The investment will safeguard the Knittelfeld site and over 400 jobs. The construction period is planned from spring 2024 to spring 2026, with starting of operations scheduled for spring 2026.
