ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) is one of Austria’s largest real estate property owners. ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH is responsible for their real estate affairs. What are the concrete tasks?
ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH is the real estate service provider for the ÖBB Group. We develop, utilize and manage all of ÖBB’s land that is not required for railway operations. We are talking about a total of 26,000 properties with a total area of approximately 200 million m2, 10 million m2 of which are plots that are available for development and utilization. However, we do not only work for ÖBB Group – we are also active in the market and are very successful there. Our range of services includes everything from property and space management to real estate development and the professional sale of properties.
Keyword Railway Station Offensive: All over the country, numerous railway stations are being modernized or new ones are being built. Could you give us an overview of the current projects?
Through the Railway Station Offensive, we are going to bring all of Austria’s major railway stations up to modern standards by 2015. The stations will receive a new appearance on the outside and inside, including clear signage, bright and transparent architecture and easy-to-maintain materials for walls and floors.
During the first phase, ten railway stations were modernized, among them Innsbruck, Graz, Klagenfurt and Linz. The second phase of the Railway Station Offensive is currently underway, including renovations of the St. Pölten, Salzburg, Vienna West and Wien Mitte stations. The modernization of Vienna’s Praterstern and Heiligenstadt stations was already completed last year. The largest project of the Railway Station Offensive is the new construction of the Vienna Central Station, which is currently underway.
The construction of the new Vienna Central Station is among the capital city’s largest building projects, as well as from an urban development perspective. Which additional infrastructure and transportation services is the new Central Station going to bring?
The Vienna Central Station will be a traffic hub between Western and Eastern Europe, serving approximately 120,000 travellers every day. At the same time, it will also be a supply centre for the new surrounding district, in which more than 10,000 people are going to live and over 20,000 new workplaces are being created. ÖBB’s corporate headquarters will also be located at the Vienna Central Station. For the provision of travellers and local residents, BahnhofCity at the Central Station will house approximately 115 shops and a multitude of service providers.
Out-of-service city railway stations, such as the Vienna North Station, are being rededicated to a new purpose. Which opportunities do these – often enormous – intra-urban free spaces bring for the development of a city?
ÖBB has many intra-urban spaces at their disposal, which are not required for railway operations anymore. This gives urban developers the fantastic opportunity to develop complete neighbourhoods – in the middle of the city, with an existing infrastructure and connection to the public transport network. The area of Vienna’s North Station is a great example: On a former ÖBB lot of 55 hectares, a new, multifaceted district will be developed throughout the next decade, including apartments, workplaces, a school, a children’s daycare and a large park – and all this right on the axis between the Inner City and Donau City. This gives the city of Vienna the unique opportunity to also grow through intra-urban agglomeration.
The former “train stops” are continuously gaining importance as real estate locations. What makes railway stations so attractive?
Railway stations are intra-urban hubs with a high visitor frequency. This makes them an attractive location for retail and gastronomic businesses. Today, a modern railway station is a multifunctional public space, which connects travel, local supply and recreational functions. What’s more, railway stations are becoming drivers for the development of whole neighbourhoods. Therefore we are modernizing our railway stations accordingly. Think about the new central station in Linz, for example. It combines an attractive architecture with a customer-friendly layout which in turn triggered the general development of the surrounding area. The package is complemented by a wide range of local supply and gastronomic services. This is appealing to travellers as well as commuters and local residents. |
