About this journey

Laa an der Thaya station sits in the Weinviertel, the wine-growing region of Lower Austria that stretches to the Czech border, and the journey south draws the ÖBB Cityjet into Vienna across the Stammstrecke — the S-Bahn spine of the Austrian capital. That corridor, part of the broader Verbindungsbahn, runs 16.2 kilometres roughly east–west through the city, threading beneath it and above it in alternation: Wien Rennweg and Wien Mitte stations lie in tunnels, while north of Wien Mitte the line rises to an elevated structure, crosses the Donaukanal, and joins the North railway line at Wien Praterstern.

Wien Mitte itself carries layers of railway history. A station first opened on this site in 1859 under the name Hauptzollamt; it was rebuilt between 1899 and 1901 to connect with the Stadtbahn below. Today it functions as a multi-modal interchange for S-Bahn, U-Bahn, and the City Airport Train, whose non-stop service reaches Vienna International Airport in 16 minutes. From Wien Meidling the Stammstrecke continues south toward the city's outskirts, and the journey ends at Mödling station, served by S-Bahn lines S1 and S2 as well as regional trains — a contrast to the underground complexity of central Vienna encountered earlier in the ride.