From Feldkirch to Bludenz: With the engine driver on the way

VOL.AT accompanied him on the journey from Feldkirch to Bludenz and talked to him about his high-tech job.

The Vorarlberger fulfilled his professional dream: “Of course that was the classic, the boy’s dream,” he says in an interview with VOL.AT. He did an apprenticeship as a machine fitter at ÖBB. Eventually he made it to the so-called train driver.

“The training is special, you have to say that,” he says. “It is not easy.” It now takes a year before you are fit for the job. The training is divided into theory and practice. For Traxl, however, it was worth it: “You can do a lot at the Bludenz site and it’s a nice job,” he explains.

“I like the fact that I can actually work for myself,” explains Traxl. He sits alone in the driver’s cab and makes the decisions. Many other factors are of course necessary for a train to move, “but once the train is moving, it’s my turn,” says the “nüzger” with a smile.

The job at ÖBB requires shift work. According to Traxl, this is always structured differently and covers the entire area: freight, local and long-distance transport. There is usually something for everyone on a day. So the engine driver first took the double-decker to Hörbranz in the morning, then the S-Bahn to Bludenz and in the afternoon the goods train to Buchs.

In between, the locomotive goes to the siding during the break. This window is where cleaning and repairs are done as needed, as Traxl explains. The classic job profile has changed: “Fortunately, we no longer have to shovel coal,” says the engine driver. A lot is computer-controlled, you can hardly intervene in mechanics and electronics. But that also has advantages: “If there is a problem, you can usually solve it with the computer, otherwise the workshop has to get to the device,” he explains.

Engine driver is an exciting high-tech job today: there are different “tools” at the desk. On the one hand the train radio with connection to the dispatcher and the train driver in Innsbruck. “We have a passenger information system,” continues Traxl. There are also various dashboards on the condition of the vehicle, on the far right there is a diagnostics screen on which any faults are displayed.

The ÖBB currently has almost 200 engine drivers, also known as “engine drivers”, in Vorarlberg. Among them are twelve women. “20 new recordings are planned this year,” press spokesman Christoph Gasser-Mair told VOL.AT. “We particularly invite women to apply.”

A total of 120 new colleagues are sought in Vorarlberg every year. Especially in the “railway-specific professions” such as train drivers, train attendants, shunting employees, dispatchers, but also technicians, IT specialists, etc. The reason for the search for personnel is also a generational change: ÖBB-wide around a fifth of the 42,000 total employees will leave in the next few years the retirement. There are also attractive bonuses for jobs that are in particularly high demand. Applications are ongoing at career.oebb.at possible.