In a first step, ÖBB-Holding AG, the holding company responsible for aligning the strategies of the Group companies, was established and incorporated on 31 March 2004, its Supervisory Board was appointed and the Board of Management was appointed in the constitutive meeting held in April.
By mid-2004, the following Group companies had been established and incorporated:
- ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG
- Rail Cargo Austria AG
- ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG
- ÖBB-Dienstleistungs GmbH
- ÖBB-Traktion GmbH
(subsidiary company of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG and Rail Cargo Austria AG) - ÖBB-Technische Services GmbH
(subsidiary company of Rail Cargo Austria AG and ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG) - ÖBB-Immobilienmanagement GmbH
(subsidiary company of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG)
On 1 January 2005, the effective date for split-off, the previous ÖBB Company was replaced by the ÖBB Group of companies and its workforce, assets and tasks were transferred to its corporate companies.
Eisenbahn-Hochleistungsstrecken AG (HL-AG) and the financing function of Schieneninfrastrukturfinanzierungs GmbH (SCHIG) were merged with ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG as absorbing company and the Federal Republic's shares in Unterinntalbahn, a subsidiary of ÖBB Infrastruktur Bau AG, were contributed to ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG.
In parallel to restructuring ÖBB, the merger of Post- and BahnBus companies was successfully completed and ÖBB-Postbus GmbH, a company the ÖBB Group and Austria's largest bus operating company, was established.
The new Group structure allows the individual corporate companies and the Group as a whole to better meet market and customer needs in an ever increasing competitive environment thus increasing their competitivity and earning power. Last but not least the new structure also aims at reducing the need for monetary contributions from the State.