In 2024, 2,710 graffiti offences on ÖBB trains and buildings caused damages amounting to €4.5 million. The number of graffiti offences increased by 18% compared to the previous year (2023: 2,300 graffiti offences). On the other hand, almost twice as many perpetrators were convicted in 2024 (28 compared to 15) than in the previous year.
Therefore in recent years, ÖBB has gradually tightened its approach to sprayers. Every single case of graffiti is consistently reported and documented in a database. This means that even past offences can be assigned. Hotspots continue to be stabling yards in the eastern region, including Wiener Neustadt and Retz.
Spraying trains and railway facilities can not only be very expensive, but also life-threatening, ÖBB warns. Shunting operations and train traffic also take place on the railway facilities at night. Trains approach at high speed and have long braking distances. The overhead lines carry 15,000 volts of electricity. Even approaching them can result in an electric shock, which is why fatal accidents repeatedly occur, including those caused by climbing on wagons, ÖBB conclusions.
