Siemens 2013 Annual Report Download - page 67


Vienna, Austria
“Back when our kids were small, it was
really hard for me to get on the tram with
a stroller. Today, parents with young chil-
dren can easily board the ultra-low floor
trams – now that’s what I call progress!”
Julia Köhler loves living with her family in
Vienna – a city that repeatedly ranks among
the world’s most livable urban centers. She
and her family regularly use public trans-
portation. Mayor Michael Häupl knows
how important the city’s buses, metros and
trams are to the inhabitants of Vienna.
Summing up the city’s formula for success,
he says, “like any successful business
launching a new product, we surveyed our
customers. The feedback we received was
that Vienna’s residents want public trans-
portation that operates reliably and on
schedule, and the system should also be
attractive and comfortable.” That’s why
the city opted, for example, for Siemens’
Ultra Low Floor (ULF) trams, with their
extra-wide doors and floor height of just
19 centimeters.
State-of-the-art trams are just one small
piece of the quality-of-life mosaic in this
metropolis on the Danube. Mayor Häupl
sees his city as “a mixture of grand classical
traditions and innovative technologies. In
addition to being steeped in history and
abounding in culture, Vienna is a business
and science hub.” For a more detailed pic-
ture, just ask the city’s residents. Julia
Köhler appreciates “all the green spaces
and the vibrant cultural scene. And Vienna
is a family-friendly city – a wonderful place
to raise children.” Her husband, Dr. Georg
Freimüller, who’s an attorney, says that
the quality of life in Vienna can also be at-
tribut ed to the magnificent backdrop of the
city’s many historic buildings and its safety
and cleanliness. Their children – Carlotta,
Max and Elsa – feel that Vienna can hold its
own against any city in the world.
It’s no coincidence that the residents of
the Austrian capital give their hometown
such high marks for quality of life. Under
Mayor Häupl, Vienna has taken systematic
steps to enhance its livability over the past
two decades. One focus has been on infra-
structure, where Vienna has been rigorously
implementing “intelligent” strategies. And
Siemens has provided many of the city’s
closely integrated infrastructure solutions:
metro trains and their electrification, traf-
fic management systems, power distribu-
tion solutions, energy-efficient building
technologies and security systems for pub-
lic squares, metro stations and stadiums.
Vienna’s decision-makers recognized early
on that a healthy environment is a pre-
requisite for ensuring quality of life. Major
investments in energy-efficient and envi-
ronmentally friendly technologies and in
public transportation are not inconsistent
with a city’s prosperity. Mayor Häupl is
convinced that a higher quality of life also
fosters economic success. “Today, Vienna
generates 48% of Austria’s total tax reve-
nue,” he says. “We have a healthy, prosper-
ous mix of industry, financial and other
services, and highly creative businesses.”
And it’s this mix that gives the city the
flexibility it needs to implement innovative
infrastructure solutions and thus further
enhance its residents’ quality of life .
 – The Viennese want their mass
transit system to be both attractive
and comfortable. Combining these
features, our Ultra Low Floor (ULF)
trams are as much a part of Vienna’s
cityscape as the Opera House or
St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The trams’
ultra-low floors are a particular boon
for the elderly and for passengers who
are wheelchair-bound or traveling
with baby carriages or strollers. ULF
vehicles also save the city the expense
of building costly station platforms.
 – The Freimüller-Köhler family on
the go in their hometown of Vienna
1
2
Making infrastructures more intelligent
Enhancing quality of life