Due to the high energy prices, the lighting in subway stations is reduced. In the vehicles themselves, it should have a maximum of 18 degrees in the future.
It’s not only getting darker and colder outside. It’s also getting autumnal in public transport in Vienna. Because of the high energy prices, Wiener lines put together a package of measures. It includes, among other things, a reduction in lighting and temperature in trains and on platforms.
“We looked at where we could save energy without interfering with the core business, mobility,” says Katharina Steinwendtner, spokeswoman for Wiener Linien. That’s why the main focus was on how much savings potential there is in the buildings, workshops and stations. It came to around 10 percent.
Reduce lighting and switch to LED
Lighting has already been reduced in some subway stations, such as Volkstheater, Wien Mitte and Schwedenplatz. This means that one or the other illuminant remains dark. This will now be rolled out further. The works of art in some stations should no longer be illuminated and the Wiener Linien lettering should be switched off.
The fittings are in the process of switching to LED. “That consumes 80 percent less energy,” explains Steinwendtner. The stations are already equipped with LEDs. The subway cubes remain lit. “So nobody has to worry about not being able to find the stations at night,” said the spokeswoman.
Maximum 18 degrees in rail vehicles
Wiener Linien also saves on the temperature in the vehicles. It should have a maximum of 18 degrees on average in the vehicles. In modern sets, such as the Flexitys, that is around two degrees less than before. For the other vehicles, it is not possible to say exactly by how many degrees it will be colder now. Because: “We have eleven different vehicle types and therefore eleven different heating systems,” says Steinwendtner. This means that the temperatures in the different sets also vary greatly.
Especially in the trams, the temperature is often much lower because the doors are constantly opening to the outside. “But we have set ourselves the goal of heating the trains to a maximum of 18 degrees,” said the spokeswoman. In modern vehicles, this is done via an automatic adjustment. The spokeswoman emphasizes that the buses are already very energy-efficient. Here, the waste heat from the engine is used for heating.
“Nobody has to be afraid of standing in the dark”
According to the company, the measures should save around eleven gigawatt hours per year. This corresponds to the consumption of around 3,000 four-person households. The measures were also taken to ensure that a minimum level of security was always guaranteed. “No one needs to be afraid of standing in the dark,” says Steinwendtner.
In addition, Wiener Linien is already using part of the braking energy from the subways to illuminate stations or operate lifts and escalators. There have been four braking energy systems since the end of April this year. According to the company, this saves up to four gigawatt hours of electricity per year. Another plant is to come at the end of the year.