Vienna (AFP)
A new night train connecting Vienna to Brussels was inaugurated on Sunday evening, symbolizing Austria's desire to make a decisive contribution to the European ambition to reduce CO2 emissions.
The Austrian public railway company ÖBB has embarked for a few years on a renewal of its night service, of which it is today particularly "proud", according to its president Andreas Matthä.
A trip from Vienna to Brussels by rail emits less than a tenth of CO2 from that emitted by the plane.
The first train, bearing the slogan #loveyourplanet (# aimetaplanète), left Vienna at 8:38 p.m. (7:38 p.m. GMT) to the sound of an orchestra that interpreted the European Union anthem, "The Ode to Joy". He was due to arrive in the Belgian capital on Monday at 10.55 a.m.
The two countries had not had a direct rail link for 16 years.
The Vienna-Brussels is currently scheduled twice a week, Sunday and Wednesday evening, while the Brussels-Vienna leaves on Monday and Thursday evening, with wagons that will separate to serve Munich (Germany) and Innsbruck ( Austria).
In October ÖBB reported an 11% year-over-year increase in night bookings. The ticket starts at 19 euros, a price that easily rivals low-cost airlines, but only offers a seat, not a berth.
The Austrian company offers 27 night trains, and plans to add Amsterdam (Netherlands) as the next destination. At the end of 2016, it had taken the risk of buying the night trains subsidiary of its German competitor Deutsche Bahn.
Austria wants to become "carbon neutral" by 2040, said Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler.
"There is no other city in the European Union which has as many night trains departing as Vienna, and the network can be further extended," she said.
© 2020 AFP