Technical Excursion of UBRM to St. Pölten and Tulln on June 26, 2025

The excursion on June 26, 2025, was organized and led by Prof. Astrid Gühnemann, Paul Pfaffenbichler, and Olivia Gold. The organization team was supported by our student assistant, Charlotte Margaretha. A total of 25 students from the Bachelor's program in Environmental and Bio-Resource Management participated.

The journey to the first program point at the Niederösterreichische Verkehrsorganisationsges.m.b.H. (NÖVOG) at the Alpenbahnhof operations site in St. Pölten was made using the Westbahn and the St. Pölten city bus. There, we were warmly welcomed by Stefan Bruntsch, the Head of Planning. After an introductory presentation on the organization of public transport in Lower Austria and the structure and tasks of NÖVOG, Philip Schroll presented NÖVOG's activities in the field of rail transport. This was followed by a presentation by Britta Fuchs on the micro-public transport projects Mostviertel West and Weinviertel West. After a short break, we had the opportunity to visit the workshop of the Mariazell Railway. To conclude the morning program, Susanna Hauptmann provided us with an overview of the diverse activities of Radland GmbH in the field of active mobility.

Via St. Pölten's main train station and Tullnerfeld, we traveled by public transport to Tulln. Despite a slight delay, there was still time for a short lunch break at the main square before we met Cornelia Hebenstreit at Tulln's town hall. After a presentation on the planning process and procedure for the redesign and depaving of Nibelungenplatz, we had the opportunity to experience the site together with Ms. Hebenstreit.

While some of the students returned directly to Vienna afterward, others joined us in reflecting on the day at the Alpenvereinshaus Gastgarten Donaublick. After enjoying some drinks and excellent spreads (thanks to the friendly and attentive team), everyone managed to return to Vienna in time before the approaching storm.

In conclusion, we would like to extend our gratitude to all the hosts for their interesting and exciting insights into the practical aspects of very different parts of the mobility and transport system.