Vienna's S-Bahn disruption following a cable fire at Praterstern is expected to continue until at least September 7th, when the next major phase of the already-planned Stammstrecke closure begins.
Around 20 kilometres of cable were damaged in the fire and will need to be replaced, according to ORF Vienna. The cables are used for the signalling system, telecommunications and overhead power infrastructure.
ÖBB is therefore bringing forward parts of the timetable it had prepared for the September closure and introducing a Notfahrplan, or emergency timetable, from Friday, August 14th.
That means the current disruption will run straight into the planned September closure.
What will run from Friday?
There will be no S-Bahn trains between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Floridsdorf until September 6th.
The section between Praterstern and Floridsdorf was already closed for planned works. Following the fire, trains also cannot run between Praterstern and Hauptbahnhof.
Local trains travelling to and from the south, including services towards Liesing, will therefore begin or end at Hauptbahnhof and, in some cases, Wien Meidling.
The existing construction timetable for services coming from the north remains in place, as do the replacement buses already operating for the summer closure, ÖBB said. A direct shuttle bus between Wien Meidling and Längenfeldgasse, where passengers can connect to the U4 and U6, also continues to run.
ÖBB tickets are being accepted on affected Wiener Linien routes. Passengers should, however, expect the city transport network to be busier than usual. The additional frequencies that Wiener Linien had planned for the main S-Bahn closure are not due to begin until September 7th, according to Kurier.
READ ALSO: What passengers need to know about Vienna’s S-Bahn summer closures
What about the S7 and trains to Vienna Airport?
Airport journeys are also affected.
The S7 is currently running only from Geiselbergstraße towards Vienna Airport and Fischamend. Rail replacement buses are operating between Wien Mitte and Geiselbergstraße.
City Airport Train services cannot operate by train. Kurier reports that a dedicated CAT replacement bus is running directly between Wien Mitte and Vienna Airport and can only be used with a valid CAT ticket.
Passengers still have a rail alternative. Long-distance trains between Wien Hauptbahnhof and Vienna Airport are not affected by the closure, according to both ÖBB's current disruption information and ORF Vienna.
READ ALSO: Reader question: How do I get from Vienna Airport to the city centre?
What changes on September 7th?
September 7th was already due to mark a major change for Vienna's S-Bahn network.
The current summer closure between Praterstern and Floridsdorf runs until September 6th. From September 7th, that section is due to reopen, while the much longer main closure between Wien Praterstern and Wien Hauptbahnhof begins.
That closure is part of the S-Bahn Wien Upgrade and is scheduled to continue until the end of October 2027, according to ÖBB.
Passengers can find a fuller breakdown of the original closure arrangements, replacement services and long-term works in The Local's guide to Vienna's S-Bahn closures.
With the emergency timetable now being introduced at short notice, ÖBB is advising passengers to check their connection shortly before travelling using Scotty or its live traffic information and to allow extra time for their journey.
READ ALSO: What Vienna residents need to know about transport works in 2026
Key vocabulary
der Notfahrplan – emergency timetable
der Schienenersatzverkehr – rail replacement service
die Stammstrecke – core or central railway line
das Stellwerk – signal box or signalling control system
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