The rails are glowing

“Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm becomes the main station”

For project manager Markus Moser, intensive planning for the "Hahnenkammexpress" begins in September.

(Bild: Pail Sepp)

Kitzbühel Hahnenkamm station is located virtually right at the entrance to the ski stadium. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the majority of ski fans are processed there. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, ÖBB has its own operations center on site. 

The final preparations were still underway on Thursday, but from Friday the ÖBB operations center at the Hahnenkamm station will already be in full swing. "Everything is controlled from here," explains Markus Moser from ÖBB Personenverkehr. "The station will become the main station at the weekend," summarizes the project manager.

At peak times, the free shuttle trains and regular S-Bahn trains run every 7.5 minutes. On Friday and Saturday mornings, an additional train runs from Innsbruck to Kitzbühel.

The fan crowds are boisterous but unproblematic.

Markus Moser, Projektleiter ÖBB Personenverkehr

Two train drivers per train and international escorts
Train sets from all over Austria reinforce the Tyrolean fleet for the "Hahnenkammexpress", 280 employees are involved in the project. Efficiency and speed are the top priorities. For example, there is a train driver at each end of the shuttle trains that run between St. Johann and Kirchberg in Tirol. "So they don't have to change trains." Cleaning takes place during operation.

The train conductors from Tyrol and Salzburg will receive international support from Germany, Italy and Switzerland on Saturday. "The fans from these countries are always very happy when they meet fellow countrymen," says Moser, "it creates a special atmosphere."

Staff count passengers on the platform
To ensure that staff and passengers can still get through, the number of passengers is limited to 650 per train, even if more could theoretically fit. "Our employees stand on the platforms and count the passengers," explains Moser. They are equipped with a kind of mobile emergency stop button: in an emergency, the entire train service can be stopped immediately using a cell phone.

There are no security staff on the shuttle trains, but this is not necessary, according to Moser: "The crowds of fans are boisterous, but unproblematic."