ÖBB retires S-Bahn class 4020 from regular service after nearly 50 years

„Der 4020 war über Jahrzehnte hinweg ein treuer Begleiter für Millionen Fahrgäste“, explained ÖBB chief Andreas Matthä. The trains are „ein Stück österreichischer Ingenieurskunst“, added Johannes Hartinger. He is one of those fans who do not simply want to accept the farewell.

Fans in portrait: Hartinger and Fürnsinn

Hartinger and his friend Firmian Fürnsinn want to prevent the 4020s from disappearing completely. „Da haben wir ein Prachtexemplar erwischt“, Hartinger jokes about the unit he was riding on board an S40 on Wednesday. „Man steigt ein und es ist eine Zeitreise: Das Flair ist schon einzigartig, wie Züge früher ausgestattet worden sind“, says Hartinger.

„Jeder hat irgendwo eine Verbindung zu diesem Zug, sie waren ja omnipräsent“, says Fürnsinn, who is studying journalism in Vienna. „Sie haben wirklich ihren Dienst geleistet.“ However, both acknowledge that, from an operational standpoint, the retirement was long overdue: the vehicles have no air conditioning, are not barrier-free, and are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.

Why the retirement is overdue

„Es ist natürlich schlechtes Timing, sich mitten in einer Hitzewelle für ein unklimatisiertes Fahrzeug einzusetzen“, says Hartinger. „Sie sind leider ein beliebtes Sprayer-Ziel, weil sie so gerade Flächen haben“, he adds, referring to the painted exterior surfaces. A retired railcar is hardly suited as an investment: „Wertanlage ist es keine“, says Fürnsinn.

To save at least one trainset, Hartinger, Fürnsinn, and a third friend have launched a crowdfunding campaign. The milestones are clearly staggered: they need 20,000 euros to purchase one train, with 30,000 euros they also want to finance a second power car as a source of spare parts, and with 300,000 euros the train could be refurbished so that it can be booked for nostalgic trips. „Wir sind sehr überrascht, wie schnell das gegangen ist“, says Hartinger.

Crowdfunding to preserve a trainset

Just before the farewell run, 4020 fans had already donated nearly 20,000 euros, according to the two. „Uns hat sogar ein Techniker aus Vorarlberg Hilfe angeboten, der früher schon an dem Zug gearbeitet hat.“ ÖBB managers who did not want to see the 4020 disappear could also be found on the donor list. A "garage spot" for the rescued trainset has already been lined up; ideally, according to Hartinger, it would be a museum location.

For Hartinger, the 4020 has not been a passion for all that long. Having grown up in Salzburg, he only became enthusiastic about the retro trainset since moving to Vienna to study sound engineering — there, the trains had already disappeared from the cityscape much earlier. Nationwide, however, the 4020s remained in scheduled service until the end, including on routes such as the Franz-Josefs-Bahn.

Outlook: Scrapping or museum

Hartinger and Fürnsinn think it is right that the ÖBB are now retiring the trains. „Es ist natürlich schlechtes Timing, sich mitten in einer Hitzewelle für ein unklimatisiertes Fahrzeug einzusetzen“, Hartinger had said, referring to the current weather situation. For the fans, the hope remains that at least one example will be preserved as a rolling testament to its era.

The official farewell run on Friday marks the final point in a series of last scheduled services. Afterwards, the remaining trainsets will be retired — most of them are expected to end up with scrap dealers who have already expressed interest in the decommissioned vehicles on social media. Only if the crowdfunding campaign raises the necessary funds could one trainset dodge the sidings of the scrapyard.