For the first time ever, we exhibited a real live train at an auto show. And not just any show but the biggest auto show in the whole of Central and Eastern Europe: The Vienna Auto Show.

Amongst all the car manufacturers – the majority of whom were protesting against the idea - we presented the Railjet as THE environmentally-friendly, modern and contemporary alternative to the car.Protests by the car manufacturers – Toyota even decided to cancel its stand – proved to be pointless.The Railjet was delivered to the exhibition site overnight by heavy goods transporter and placed in position.Its size and spectacular appearance soon put the car manufacturers’ stands in the shade.In addition to the staging and in the same way as for cars, tickets for a test ride on the Railjet were distributed, allowing its ride qualities to be experienced live.

The reaction from the public was incredible.Some of the 50,000 car fans queued to take a look inside the train.

The story was reported across the whole of Austria.Heated discussions took place on Twitter, Facebook and on various car forums.At the stand roughly 1,000 ÖBB advantage cards (an annual half-price ticket for frequent travellers) were sold.A month after the show the Railjet was still the most popular train for travelling on the Vienna-Salzburg line.Yet the most important thing is that Austria’s car fans have accepted the Railjet as a high-value, environmentally friendly alternative.