ÖBB Annual Report 2025

33 Step by step into the future Southern Germany is also a growth region for the ÖBB. You have won a major tender in connection with Arverio. What went into this achievement and how does it fit into the overall strategy? WALDNER: The acquisition of Arverio in Germany has enabled us to expand our presence in German regional transportation. Germany is the largest rail market in Europe and offers long-term stable transportation contracts in regional transportation. Arverio gives ÖBB direct access to existing networks, personnel and local know-how. In addition, in August 2025 Arverio Baden-Württemberg was awarded an important contract for network 35b, which will bring five lines and up to 10.3 million train kilometers per year in the final expansion stage. This is proof of Arverio’s success in Germany and strengthens ÖBB’s international competitiveness and strategic position on the European mobility market. ÖBB is also hard at work every day modernizing its operations in Austria. How is digitalization progressing? WALDNER: Automation, digitalization and AI have long since become part of our everyday working lives. We see them as levers for reducing complexity, increasing efficiency and making our company fit for the future. After intensive preparations, we have achieved a big win, namely the cloud migration of our ERP system. We aim to be at the cutting edge of technology and fully leverage all cloud functionality. A second example is the digitalization of train journey management – for example, by digitally transferring the timetables, which are updated ten times a year, to our colleagues on board the vehicles. This simplifies processes and also reduces costs. Looking further into the future, we are evaluating use cases for autonomous driving. And we are looking at the use of AI in the area of predictive maintenance. Despite cost-cutting measures, ÖBB is growing and is also experiencing departures due to retirement. Does this mean that ÖBB is once again looking for 4,100 new employees this year? MATTHÄ: In addition to traditional recruiting tools, we also rely on innovative approaches via social media or the Group’s internal “Jobanbahner:innen” program to cover our personnel requirements. It is clear that these measures are working: in 2025, we received a record 140,000 applications, 20,000 more than in the prior year. In recent years, we have worked our way up to become the fourth most popular employer – this is a testament to ÖBB’s appeal and makes us particularly happy. Many see 2026 as a year of major changes. Where will ÖBB be at the end of this year? Can you give us an initial assessment? WALDNER: The aim is to reverse the trend in goods transportation. This can only succeed if the economy recovers and we focus fully on increasing competitiveness. MATTHÄ: We have established clear priorities here: with the new Koralm Railway, we are managing one of the largest timetable expansions in our history. As satisfying our customers is our top priority, we must ensure smooth operations this year. At the same time, it is important to secure the basis for healthy growth. This means getting our internal costs and processes in order and continuing our expansion course. Thank you very much for this interview! dialog to proactively tackle the challenges of continuous change Train talk The video inter­ view with the ÖBB Board members is available online at berich t.oebb.at