Vienna U-Bahn

Vienna U-Bahn
Train sets of lines U6 and U4 entering Längenfeldgasse interchange
Train sets of lines U6 and U4 entering Längenfeldgasse interchange
Overview
Native nameU-Bahn Wien
LocaleVienna, Austria
Transit typeRapid transit
Line number (future)
Number of stations98[1]
Daily ridership1.3 million (avg. daily, 2009)[2]
Annual ridershipIncrease 459,8 million (2019)[3]
WebsiteWiener Linien
Operation
Began operation
  • 8 May 1976 (1976-05-08) (test operation)
  • 25 February 1978 (1978-02-25)[4] (official opening)
Operator(s)Wiener Linien
Number of vehicles778[1]
Headway2–15 minutes
Technical
System length83.3 km (51 mi 61 ch)[5][6]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification
Average speed32.5 km/h (20.2 mph)[5]
Top speed85 km/h (53 mph)

The Vienna U-Bahn (German: U-Bahn Wien), where U-Bahn is an abbreviation of the German word Untergrundbahn (English: underground railway), is a rapid transit system serving Vienna, Austria. The five-line network consists of 83.1 kilometers (51.6 mi) of route, serving 109 stations.[5] 459.8 million passengers rode the U-Bahn in 2019.[7]

The modern-day U-Bahn opened on 25 February 1978,[5][4] after test operations that began on 8 May 1976. Parts of two of the lines, designated U4 and U6, date back to the Stadtbahn ("city railway") system, which opened in 1898. Parts of the U2 and U6 lines began as subway tunnels built to accommodate earlier tram lines. Only the U1 and U3 were built wholly as new subway lines.

Lines are designated by a number and the prefix "U" (for U-Bahn) and identified on station signage and related literature by a colour. There are five lines; U1, U2, U3, U4 and U6. Since the late 1960s there have been numerous suggestions of routings for a line U5, but all these projects had been shelved until the construction of a new U5 was announced in early 2014.[8] Stations are often named after streets, public spaces, or districts, and in some special cases after prominent buildings at or near the station. The policy of the Wiener Linien, however, states that they prefer not to name stations after buildings.[citation needed]

Ticketing for the network is integrated under the Verkehrsverbund Ost-Region [de] (VOR) along with other means of public transport in Vienna, including trams and buses. Local tickets are valid on S-Bahn suburban rail services and other train services but those are operated by the state railway operator, ÖBB. Tickets are not valid on bus services operated by Vienna Airport Lines or the City Airport Train express train.

U-Bahn train over Old Danube
  1. ^ a b "Wiener Linien – U-Bahn 2001 bis 2014" [Vienna Transport – Subway 2001 to 2014] (in German). Wiener Linien. April 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. ^ Hödl, J: Das Wiener U-Bahn-Netz, Wiener Linien, 2009.
  3. ^ "Facts and Figures 2019" (PDF). Wiener Linien. 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020. p. 4
  4. ^ a b "Happy Birthday! 45 Jahre Wiener U-Bahn" [Happy Birthday! 45 Years of the Vienna U-Bahn] (in German). Wiener Linien. November 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d "2014 Zahlen, Daten, Fakten – Unternehmen" [Company Profile – Figures, Data, Facts] (PDF) (in German). Wiener Linien. April 2015. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Unternehmensprofil – Zahlen, Daten, Fakten" [Company Profile – Figures, Data, Facts] (in German). Wiener Linien. 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Public transport 2014 to 2019 - Official Statistics of City of Vienna". www.wien.gv.at (in German). Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  8. ^ "Stadt fixiert Trassen von U2 und U5" (in German). ORF Wien. Retrieved 2 August 2014.