On December 9 ÖBB's Lainzer Tunnel opened for regular traffic. Already in July, ÖBB effectuated test runs on the Wien - St Pölten line at speeds up to 250km/h.

The test runs included the Conductor Bar in Lainzer Tunnel. Franz Kurzweil and Wolfgang Kapfenberger of ÖBB Engineering Services: „Results on the conductor bar are more than satisfactory. Also the Neutral Section, situated at km 4.6, which is separating the substations of Auhof, Meidling and Hütteldorf, is fulfilling the requirements. The results are compliant with Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI)."