11. 06. 12. - 15:18
ÖBB boss praises rival service
Austrian train service ÖBB boss Christian Kern says that their new private rival is performing well and providing serious competition six months after the start of the new Private train service Westbahn.
But he concluded that at the same time the fact that they were such a strong competitor had forced the Austrian rail service to improve its operation.
He said that since the entry onto the market on the route between Vienna and Salzburg, the ÖBB have certainly lost a lot of customers. But he added that the competition between the two had raised awareness of the train service that also meant there were more customers available.
He said: "Westbahn is well run and has quickly overcome the difficulties they had the start, and they remain a serious competitor for the ÖBB."
Westbahn is owned by the French National Railway SNCF, the building giant Hans Peter Haselsteiner and a Swiss investor group represented by Erhard Grossnigg.
