Back in 2008, a new type of train was introduced which has since transformed rail travel in Austria and internationally. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) upgraded their long distance proposition with the introduction of new ‘Viaggio Comfort’ train sets. These modern trains, produced by Siemens, replaced conventional loco-hauled carriages on many of its core routes. Rather than give these trains the traditional EuroCity brand for international services, or the InterCity brand for domestic, it was decided that a new brand would be born for any service operated by this new type of train, similarly to Germany’s equivalent ‘InterCity Express’ (ICE) high speed train. Enter the RailJet (RJ) – the new flagship train of the ÖBB.
The original sets (let’s call them the RailJet 1.0) have been the workhorses for all RailJet services up until now. Fast forward to 2024 and there’s been a change. A new type of train has been introduced to supplement the existing train sets, dubbed the RailJet ‘New Generation’.
Austria is continuing to invest heavily in its railways and in the same year launched their brand new night train equivalent, the NightJet, also ‘New Generation’. This train features a game-changing new type of accommodation for Europe – read about my experience here to learn more.
For anyone who enjoys long distance rail travel across Europe, it’ll be hard to avoid travelling on the smart-looking RailJet – particularly the oxblood red version that is operated by the ÖBB. These provide useful connections across Austria and internationally to Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia. There’s also a blue version operated on some international services to/from Czechia, operated by the ÖBB’s Czech counterpart, České dráhy (ČD) using their equivalent of the RailJet 1.0.
Back in 2022, I took a trip on one of the ÖBB RailJet 1.0’s longest routes from Zurich to Vienna via the scenic Arlberg Pass – read all about it here if you’re interested. A stunning route and an enjoyable service proposition onboard!
Fast forward two years to December 2024, I took a trip on the RailJet ‘New Generation’ in First Class for its full trip from Munich, Germany to Bologna, Italy via the scenic Brenner Pass – a trip of nearly seven hours! The route itself has long been on my list having enjoyed scenic, long distance trips in Austria on other routes in the past – so a perfect opportunity when there’s a new train to sample as well!
The Brenner Pass route itself is all set to change in 2032 when the Brenner Base Tunnel will be completed, that is currently being built. The tunnel removes the need to traverse the mountain pass, slashing journey times but also, unfortunately, removing the most scenic part of the route from Innsbruck to Franzensfeste so enjoy it while you can.
Below is a map of the RailJet (RJ) 81 train from Munich to Bologna that I took. There’s also routes from Munich to Venice and beyond operated by the new RailJet as well.
Departure from München Hauptbahnhof
Muenchen Hauptbahnhof, or Munich main station in English, is the main city gateway to many national and international destinations to Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czechia, France and the Netherlands.
Due to its favourable location in southern Germany, it’s also a key hub station to change trains at connecting between high speed trains when travelling internationally. The station is currently a construction site to deliver a series of improvements and a new line beneath the station.
Facilities are still aplenty with various eateries, a booking office, left luggage storage and ATMs.
Onboard the RailJet ‘New Generation’
The RailJet 1.0 is known for its great choice of onboard accommodation options with three types on offer: Economy (akin to Second Class), First Class and Business Class, with the latter being the most premium type.
Consistently, the RailJet ‘New Generation’ offers these same three classes across its nine carriage set. ÖBB have taken this to the next level with the new train, with an increased choice of seating within each class to cater for as many customer requirements as possible – as you’ll see below. The new RailJet also offers an even greater choice of catering options.
The design of the train is unusual compared to its predecessor, with seating on multiple levels, aside from the front and rear carriage. This is for one good reason – to allow for level boarding from the platform at most carriages. A real thumbs up for accessibility. Continental Europe’s platforms are low compared to the track and normally steps are required from the platform up to each carriage.
The drawback of such a design is that it does mean that there are steps within each carriage when walking through the train to allow for the wheels underneath the floor at the carriage ends. This means that a walk through the train will also mean getting your steps in – literally!
Economy Class Accommodation
Each RailJet ‘New Generation’ set offers seven carriages of Economy Class, as opposed to only four carriages on the RailJet 1.0, offering around one hundred additional seats in Economy Class. These are arranged in a 2+2 configuration and, similarly to the RailJet 1.0, offers a mixture of airline style and table seating. There are power sockets available at each seat with free WiFi to accompany the use of electronic devices. Complimentary WiFi is also provided throughout, which I found to work well.
The new features of the train compared to its older counterpart include a larger tray table for each airline style seat and an additional small tray table equipped for the modern world, featuring wireless charging and grooves to allow for the standing up of your phone up at eye level to watch your own videos. The seats are different than its predecessor with no gaps in between the seats beside each other to allow for increased privacy.
I wasn’t travelling in Economy Class for this trip, however, I did try out the seat briefly and found it disappointingly hard compared to the RailJet 1.0 for the brief time I sat in it. I also found it a little suffocating with the increased privacy provided by the seat and the high seat backs. Legroom was ample though and I am a fan of a winged headrest, so this gets a thumbs up from me. These are the same seats as provided on the NightJet ‘New Generation’.
It’s worth mentioning at this point that I did find the First Class seat a little hard at first too, but as the journey went on this became less of an issue because of the ergonomic design. I could’ve sat for longer than seven hours in it quite easily to be perfectly honest. So, to conclude on the comfort of the Economy seat, I would need to try a longer trip in Economy Class but first impressions weren’t great.
The new RailJet trains also feature a familiar ‘Family Zone’ in Economy Class, similarly to its predecessor, the RailJet 1.0. These feature table seats with different games on each table to entertain the kids. I really like this dedicated space.
There is also a ‘Quiet Zone’ on the train featuring the same seats with more in an airline-style formation.
Economy Class Compartments
An exciting feature of the RailJet ‘New Generation’ trains are the new compartment carriages in Economy Class. New trains built in recent years have tended to phase these out in favour of open saloons. This is the case with the RailJet 1.0, for example.
These are perfect for travelling in larger groups and are located in the upstairs sections in almost all carriages with a total of four compartments provided for both the ‘Family Zone’ and two for the ‘Quiet Zone’.
If you’re not a group of six, however, you could end up sharing with a stranger as every seat is available to everyone to book. I’d like to see ÖBB consider the ability to book an entire compartment for smaller group sizes, similarly to their NightJet proposition and the ‘Rest’ compartments operated by Vy on another scenic route in Norway from Oslo to Bergen.
First Class Accommodation
Now for the First Class accommodation on the RailJet ‘New Generation’.
Seating exists in an open saloon exclusively in a 2+1 configuration with various options to choose from, including tables for two and four customers and airline style seating for one and two customers.
The seats are unsurprisingly more comfortable than the Economy Class seats with more cushioning provided and increased width. The seats are harder than the RailJet 1.0 leather seats, however, but as mentioned I did find the seat well designed ergonomically, still enjoying the seat after six hours. The firmness of the seat wasn’t an issue for me as first thought.
The legroom in the airline-style First Class seats is plentiful and there is a seat back pocket provided that can take a bottle of water, a book and the onboard menu easily enough.
As is the case with Economy Class, there are two fold-down tables provided at airline-style seating. There is a traditional large table that can comfortably take a laptop and an innovative smaller table at eye level that has a wireless phone charger and groves to support a phone or tablet standing up to watch videos.
There is also a pop-out coat hanger and a reading light on the seat winged headrest. Speaking of the headrest, this provided great comfort and the ability to sleep if desired – I can only sleep in a train seat if one is provided!
As is the case with Economy Class, there are information screens throughout the train with live journey information.
A menu was provided at each seat to proactively inform customers of the choice of food on offer, served at seat. The friendly host came down at regular intervals to take food orders.
You may have spotted that the First Class accommodation is missing compartments that the Economy Class has – well here’s why!
Business Class Accommodation
Probably the biggest change compared to the RailJet 1.0 is the most premium Business Class accommodation. On the new RailJet, the Business Class accommodation is exclusively in the form of four-seater compartments – with four of them provided in the centre and end of the train within the First Class carriages.
These compartments, that come at a +€15,00 supplement to First Class (including a welcome drink and First Class services), are in leather and are very similar to the First Class seats. The only apparent difference to the seat appearing to be the head cushion. On the RailJet 1.0 there is a huge difference in comfort from First Class to Business Class. These Business Class seats probably feature the best seat in Europe with full recline available and large tables.
The Business Class on the new RailJet is nothing more than a First Class compartment in my opinion and is a disappointment. It does appear that the ÖBB have decided to change Business Class to be more like the Italian ‘sallotino’, or ‘sitting room’, that you’ll find on the high-speed Italo trains in Executive Class – that come at a hefty supplement. I’m not sure why this has changed, but it could be because the train caters for the Italian market. The difference, however, where is it’s main downfall in my opinion, is that you can’t book the sallotino for exclusive use on these trains unlike on the Italo trains, which lowers the attractiveness of a compartment for sure.
Onboard Catering
The RailJet continues to offer one of the best service propositions in the world of rail catering with services provided by DoN’s, keeping traditional dining options with more modern offerings.
Firstly, the RailJet ‘New Generation’ features a restaurant carriage, situated between Economy and First / Business Class in the centre of the train. As with the RailJet 1.0, this is open to anyone but it is only available on a first-come-first-served basis. The new RailJet features a greater choice of seating, with the new addition of bar stool presumably aimed for solo travellers.
Next, there is an at-seat service in First Class – as is the case with the RailJet 1.0. In theory, there is supposed to be the feature to order via the WiFi to your seat, however, this wasn’t working for me unfortunately. Thankfully, it was still easy to order by catching the friendly host who dropped by at regular intervals to take orders.
Lunch time for me on the RailJet 81 was perfectly timed with the snowy climb of the Brenner Pass. I opted for Wiener schnitzel washed down with a dry, fruity Grüner Veltliner white wine while enjoying the views. This was followed by a tasty, warm apple strudel with vanilla sauce. Unbeatable experience at a reasonable price for a train. The latest menu can be found online here.
A new feature for the RailJet ‘New Generation’ is the ‘Snack Zone’. This is simply a cold drinks vending machine with drinks, sandwiches and snacks as well as a coffee machine. These are dotted around the train to save you walking to the restaurant.
Border Crossings
The trip from Munich to Bologna crosses two borders on the course of its journey – from Germany to Austria and from Austria-Italy. As all three countries are in the Schengen free travel area, expect there to be no passport checks at all. There are some temporary checks on the Germany-Austrian border, this was announced, but no border police joined the train!
Scenery
The trip on the Brenner Railway comes with advantages – the stunning landscape as the train traverses the Brenner Pass through the Alps between Austria and Italy and the descending of the train through the Dolomites towards Italy’s northern cities.
Check out the scenery showcase below to see what was in store for the trip through the wintry landscapes, including the key scenic moments so you know what to expect.
Arrival at Bologna Centrale
The train arrived into Bologna Centrale thirty minutes behind schedule, where the train terminated following it’s long trip in three countries.
Facilities at the station include food and drink kiosks, luggage storage, ATMs, ticket machines and a ticket office.
Booking and Fares
The old RailJets remain in service on most of the routes across Austria and beyond. If you’re travelling on the Munich to northern Italy trains, there’s a good chance you’ll be on a new RailJets. There are some EuroCity services still running on these routes as well, but these are clearly marked as those services. To find services scheduled to operated by the RailJet ‘New Generation’, head to Vagonweb.
The fares to travel on the Brenner Railway are dynamically priced, as is the case with any long distance routes in Austria, Germany and Italy, meaning that they vary according to demand.
| Journey Leg | Economy / Second Class | First Class | Business Class |
| Muenchen Hbf to Bologna Centrale | from €58,70 + optional (but recommended) €3,00 seat reservation | from €83,10 + optional (but recommended) €3,00 seat reservation | from €98,10 including a free seat reservation |
International tickets on this route can be booked direct from the ÖBB website. This website also has a seating plan where you can choose your specific seat to match your preferences, for example, a seat in a compartment, open saloon or a table seat.
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Conclusion
The RailJet ‘New Generation’ is a huge step change on the services offered by the conventional Austrian EuroCity trains, offering modern, upgraded facilities and a greater choice of travel classes and types to choose from.
The seat comfort has unfortunately reduced compared to the train’s predecessor on this route, and also compared to the first edition RailJet. However, I did find that the ergonomic support did make up for this in the First Class seat at least after the nearly seven hour trip.
I liked the variation of accommodation on offer, even within classes, I think the ÖBB and Siemens have thought of everything here. Also, the same can be said for the wide array of catering options onboard.
This travel report was first published in January 2025.
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Share your thoughts
Please get in touch if you have any feedback on this travel report by liking and sharing your thoughts below in the comments section. Have you made a similar trip? Please do share your own experiences on the rails.
thanks for sharing. Could you share any experience on the bicycle and luggage storage options?
Hi Max, thanks for your message. Yes there are heaps of luggage storage options including space between seat backs and luggage racks with optional lockable wires (you secure them with a credit card with no charge). There’s also a dedicated space for the storage of six cycles. 🙂