Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has officially bid farewell to the Class 4020 train, which has now been retired after its last day of service on the Franz Josef Railway.
First introduced in the late 1970s; the Class 4020 multiple units have accompanied various generations of commuters throughout their daily lives.
In total, 120 vehicles were built and put into service, with an average 4020 series train covering roughly 4.8 million track kilometres during its lifetime – the equivalent to approximately 120 trips around the Earth.
The trains will now be replaced by the new Cityjet double-decker vehicles, which first began operating in June in the eastern region, with their primary area of operation set to remain the heavily-used north-south axis. These trains will thus also take over duties along Vienna’s main line, which was closely associated with the 4020 series for decades.
Andreas Matthä, CEO of ÖBB Holding, said:For decades, the 4020 has been a loyal companion to millions of passengers. With its retirement, we are not just saying goodbye to a train, but to a piece of everyday history – and thanking it for almost 50 years of reliability.
At the same time, we are launching a new era of local transport in the eastern region with the new Cityjet double-decker trains.
