Austria’s national railway, ÖBB, has set out what changes when the new timetable starts on Sunday 13 December 2026, the date it takes effect across Europe. Tickets for the new timetable have been on sale since 14 October, and the connections already appear in ÖBB’s SCOTTY journey planner.
ÖBB timetable 2027: new international trains
ICE trains back via Passau. ÖBB says connections to and from Germany via Passau will resume normal operation from 13 December, after the modernisation of the Passau–Nuremberg line. ICE trains will once again run to Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Dortmund and Berlin. An extra pair of ICE services between Vienna and Dortmund adds trains at the start and end of the day.
A Night ICE between Vienna and Stuttgart. ÖBB lists a new overnight long-distance Night ICE between the two cities among the new international connections.
Vienna to Košice. Two new direct EuroCity services will run from Vienna via Bratislava and Žilina to Košice in eastern Slovakia.
Vorarlberg. ÖBB says the region gets new direct cross-border connections to Switzerland and Germany.
Changes within Austria
In eastern Austria, ÖBB promises better connections to Vienna Airport, faster trains between Wolfsthal and Vienna, and extra services between Vienna and Wiener Neustadt. In the south, more early-morning and late-evening Interregio trains run between Graz and Villach on the Koralmbahn, and Interregio trains between Graz and Maribor will stop at Graz Airport.
Some of the headline changes come later. Frecciarossa high-speed trains from Munich via Innsbruck to Milan and Rome, run with Deutsche Bahn and Trenitalia, are due from summer 2027. A direct Vienna–Belgrade train is planned, but ÖBB says its start depends on approval for the route through Hungary.
What it means for your trip
The return of ICE trains via Passau makes a weekend in Vienna easier to reach by rail from southern and western Germany. The new EuroCity trains also open up Košice as an onward hop from Bratislava. If you’re planning a Christmas market trip by train, see our guides to the Vienna Christmas markets, Salzburg and Graz.
ÖBB notes that planning for the 2027 timetable is not yet complete, so connections may still change, be cancelled or be added. Check your train in SCOTTY before you book and again before you travel. Germany also has major engineering works planned between Freilassing and Rosenheim from 8 February to 9 July 2027, which ÖBB says will affect services on that route.
Our news page has the latest rail and strike updates from across Europe.
Sources: ÖBB, Fahrplan 2027.
