photo: Posch / ÖBB/ÖBB is strengthening the tandem between bike and public transport: How does the company expand the possibilities and comfort for cyclists?
Summer is here and invites you to make excursions by bike, and many commuters also get back on their bikes in the warm season. ÖBB offers cyclists many possibilities - on the one hand, for comfortable bicycle transport on the train, on the other hand, to park the bikes safely at the station. The details of this and an outlook for the future are set out in ÖBB's bicycle strategy.
ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä emphasizes: "Bicycles and trains are a real dream team for climate protection. You can ride your bike to the station in an environmentally friendly way and lock it up safely there; you can take your folding bike on the train or simply rent a rental bike at your destination. No matter how you hold it, climate protection always goes along the ride. Therefore, it is only logical for ÖBB, as the largest climate protection company, to expand and constantly improve the offers for cyclists:inside."
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ÖBB takes cycling needs into account
ÖBB's bicycle strategy takes into account the needs of different target groups: These are, on the one hand, passengers travelling by bicycle on the train, on the other hand, bicycle commuters who park their bikes at the station, but also vacation or excursion cyclists who only need a bicycle at their destination. To cover all these different needs, ÖBB's bike strategy provides new concepts for taking bicycles on trains and buses, the expansion of Bike&Ride facilities, and the further development of Rail&Bike (bike-sharing) as an attractive first&last mile offer.
The bike always in view: ÖBB Railjet with its own bike zone
Currently, there are a total of around 85,000 bicycle parking spaces per day on ÖBB long-distance, local & regional trains. To take bicycles with them, passengers need their own bicycle ticket as well as - on long-distance trains - a reservation for the bicycle.
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From now on, there is a bicycle zone in all ÖBB Railjets. Near the bicycle parking spaces, which can accommodate up to seven bicycles, eight seats are now marked with a bicycle symbol. The bicycle zone is marked when reserving a seat in the ÖBB Ticketshop, so passengers can easily book a seat near their bicycle.
If you do not want to transport your bike on the train yourself, you can conveniently pick it up from home with the door-to-door luggage service and have it transported within Austria.
Folding bike counts as "hand luggage" and can be taken along free of charge
On the ÖBB Railjet and all ÖBB local trains, the maximum dimensions for folding bikes have been extended. Until now, only folding bikes with the dimensions of 90 x 60 x 40 cm could be taken along free of charge and without reservation - and, thus, only a few folding bikes are available on the market. Now ÖBB has extended the maximum dimensions of the folded bike to 110 x 80 x 40 cm so that almost all currently available folding bikes can be taken along free of charge.
On the ÖBB Railjet, there are specially marked compartments for folding bikes in the luggage racks. Travellers also do not need an additional reservation to take folding bikes on the Railjet.
ÖBB builds over 1,500 new bicycle parking spaces per year
ÖBB already offers 49,500 Bike&Ride parking spaces to passengers who want to park their bikes at the station. By comparison, there are around 67,000 Park&Ride parking spaces for cars. The number of bicycle parking spaces is to be increased continuously: The ÖBB framework plan stipulates that more than 1,500 new bicycle parking spaces are to be built or repaired yearly.
To lock the bicycles as safely as possible, there are numerous pilot projects in which different locking options are being tested. For example, a pilot project is currently underway at the Tullnerfeld train station for a parking facility with increased theft protection: the bicycle is locked to a stele with an integrated, alarm-secured rope that is operated via a web app.
Another option for parking the bike at the station is special bike boxes. They provide a secure and high-quality "home" for the bicycle. Together with the federal states and transport associations, ÖBB is pushing ahead with offering these bicycle "hotels" in Austria. Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg have already jumped on the bandwagon, as have Carinthia, Upper Austria and Lower Austria. Here, 1,200 boxes with a wide variety of equipment are already available.
ÖBB 360: Rail & Bike bike hire
In cooperation with municipalities, ÖBB 360 offers extensive services to cover the last mile - from the station to the point of arrival. In the projects, (e-)bikes for rent are a fixed component of the mobility offer and can be booked, including the public transport ticket, via the Wayfinder app. ÖBB has cooperated with nextbike, green4rent and TIER.
Source: ÖBB Press Releases
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