20-Euro silver commemorative coin: “Railway of the Future”

To conclude its 6-coin “Austrian Railways” series, the Austrian Mint is now issuing a 20-Euro silver commemorative coin dedicated to the “Railway of the Future”.

In the 15 decades of its existence the railway has revolutionised the transportation and through it, the economies of the world and the life styles of its peoples. Neither the spectacular developments in motor road transport or in flying have detracted from the railways pivotal position in the modern world of travel. In passenger travel the watchwords of the future are speed and comfort.

The “Shinkansen” (Bullet Train) in Japan and the Train a Grande Vitesse in France blazed the way for high speed rail travel in the last decades of the 20th century with average 200…300 km/h, reaching in tests even to 450…575 km/h.

The Taurus 1016 (1st Austrian high speed locomotive generation) went into service in the 2000; the 3rd generation in 2007. It reached speeds of 375 km/h - the main restraint being the lack of high speed lines available in Austria to accommodate such trains.

The latest addition is the high speed train - “railjet” -which has gone into service on Austrian railways in year 2009. It is a 185.5 meter long train drawn by a Taurus-2 locomotive at speeds 200..230 km/h. The “railjet” can transport over 400 passengers (Premium, First class and Economy class). It is comparable with the high speed Alta Velocidad Espanola in Spain.

Another aspect is the modernisation and renovation of Austrian major railway stations which either still date from the reconstruction after World War II in the 50’s.

The biggest is in Vienna itself, today 3 of these (the West Railway Station, the South Railway Station and the Franz Josef Railway Station) are still in service. A new grand central station is planned next to the site of the South Station to replace the old terminals. It is planned to be fully operational by 2015, handling an average of 5,000 passengers per day.

The new 20 Euro silver coin shows the “railjet” speeding out of a low tunnel on the obverse. The reverse side shows a freight yard with heavily loaded cars, containers and tanks. An electric locomotive is to be seen in the foreground. The design reminds another important policy for future development: the shifting of goods transport to the rails. For a landlocked Austria with gross transit traffic, this measure is of vital importance to its environment and to the quality of life for its citizens.

The new 20-Euro silver commemorative coin is struck in proof quality with a maximum mintage of 50,000. Each commemorative coin comes in an box with a certificate of authenticity.

“Railway of the Future” Austrian silver coin specifiations